It started with a Zoom call of black women who raised a million dollars for Kamala Harris's presidential campaign in about three hours. Following this, a series of similar Zoom calls were organized, including the most recent one with 123,000 "white dudes" who raised $3 million in one hour on Monday evening. Harris's campaign, which began only a week ago, has harnessed significant grassroots energy, raising $200 million and recruiting over 170,000 new volunteers in just a week.

These virtual gatherings have been critical in generating what is being called "Kamalamentum." Initially, call attendance was in the tens of thousands, but the largest call had 160,000 participants, despite typical Zoom meeting limits of 1,000. Zoom has not commented on these extraordinary numbers.

Republicans have criticized these identity-based virtual gatherings as "racist" and "desperate" pandering. However, Republican consultant Whit Ayres warned that attacking these events based on identity could backfire, alienating those who share that identity.

Donald Trump and his party argue that Democrats are more energized by Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race than by Harris herself. Biden’s announcement of his departure and endorsement of Harris on July 21 led to a Zoom call by black female political organizers, raising $1.6 million with 44,000 participants in four hours.

Kamala Harris, if nominated, would be the first black woman and first South Asian woman to be a major American party's presidential nominee. Following the black women's call, other identity-based gatherings occurred, including South Asian women and Latinas. A significant event with 53,000 black men raised $1.3 million in six hours.

The largest virtual event, "White Women: Answer the Call," faced technical issues with over 160,000 participants, raising $11 million according to Shannon Watts, a gun control advocate and organizer of the call. She highlighted the critical role of white women, who constitute 40% of the voters, in influencing election outcomes.

On Monday evening, the "White Dudes for Harris" Zoom event had over 90,000 registrants, featuring celebrities and politicians urging participants not to let the Trump campaign represent all white men. Republican consultant Ayres noted that these Zoom sessions help Harris reach voters informally while maintaining her campaign messages. However, he cautioned that if Harris repeats her 2019 campaign mistakes, her campaign could fail, allowing Trump an easy victory.

The surge in support for Harris marks a stark contrast from the beginning of July, when prominent Democratic donors like Abigail Disney and George Clooney opposed Biden's re-election. Recently, even in the traditionally conservative community of The Villages in Florida, 500 golf carts rallied for Harris.

Recent polls indicate Harris is in a tight race with Trump, either tied or within the margin of error, reflecting the significant impact of her campaign's momentum.