Mercury News-

Sen. Kamala Harris is spending more money on Facebook ads than any other U.S. Senator or potential Democratic presidential candidate, helping her grow a digital presence that would be a powerful asset if she decides to run for the White House.

Over a two-month snapshot from early May through early July, Harris’ ads on Facebook have been viewed at least 7.8 million times, and her campaign has spent at least $134,500 on the platform, according to data from a recent New York University study provided to the Bay Area News Group. That’s a larger sum than any U.S. politician other than President Trump and Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, who’s running for Senate.

The largess has helped massively expand Harris’ donor base, transforming her from a more traditional Hillary Clinton-like politician raising large chunks of money to a more Bernie Sanders-type figure bringing in a wave of small-dollar donations — even though she isn’t facing re-election in the Senate for four years. It’s an early indication that she’s courting a national audience in the runup to 2020 as a crowded field of Democrats takes shape

Read More