Kamala Harris urges donors to raise more after raising more than $1 billion in election defeat – National

Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party's prodigious fundraising operation raised more than $1 billion in her loss to Donald Trump, but the vice president is still pushing for more money from donors after the election.

Democrats are sending persistent appeals to Harris' supporters, without explicitly asking them to cover any debts, and are instead luring potential donors with other issues: the Republican president-elect's picks for his incoming administration and a handful of ongoing congressional races where the votes are still taking place. added up.

“The Harris campaign certainly spent more than they raised and is now busy raising money,” said Adrian Hemond, a Democratic strategist from Michigan. He said he was asked by the campaign after the Trump loss to help with fundraising.

The party is flooding Harris' lucrative email donor list with almost daily appeals targeting small-dollar donors — those whose contributions are measured in the hundreds of dollars or less. But Hemond said post-election efforts also include individual appeals to larger donors.

The battle now underscores the costs associated with a losing effort and the immediate challenges Democrats face as they try to maintain a grassroots political operation to thwart the Trump administration and prepare for the midterm elections 2026. It also raises the question of how Democrats used their resources, which included hosting events with musicians and other celebrities and placing ads in a variety of non-traditional spaces such as the domed Sphere in Las Vegas.

Internally, the apparent cash crunch is being blamed on the campaign's decision to stop paying many senior staffers starting Saturday, even those who were initially told they would be paid through the end of the year. Facing internal frustration, the campaign informed those affected in recent days that their health insurance would be covered until the end of the year, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share internal discussions.

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Another person familiar with the Democratic National Committee's fundraising and finances said the Harris campaign's projected deficit is a relatively small amount compared to the size of the campaign, which reported that in mid-October before the election November 5, $119 million cash was available. . This person was not authorized to publicly discuss campaign finances and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Patrick Stauffer, chief financial officer for the Harris campaign, said in a statement that “there were no outstanding debts or delinquent accounts” on Election Day and that “no debts” will be listed for the campaign or the DNC in their next financial disclosures . , which will be submitted to the Federal Election Commission in December.

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The person familiar with the DNC campaign and finances said it was impossible to know where Harris' balance sheet currently stands. The campaign will still receive invoices from suppliers for events and other services towards the end of the race. The campaign also has outstanding receipts; for example, from media organizations having to pay for their employees' spots on Air Force Two as it traveled for the vice president's campaign activities.

Within hours of Trump picking Florida Republican Matt Gaetz as attorney general on Wednesday, Harris' supporters faced calls for more money for “the Harris Fight Fund,” citing the emerging Trump team and its agenda.

Gaetz, who resigned from his seat in the House of Representatives after the announcement, “will arm the Department of Justice to protect itself,” the email said. It said Democrats must “stop them from carrying out Trump's plans for revenge and retaliation” and noted that “even his Republican allies are shocked by this” Cabinet choice.

Another appeal followed on Friday in Harris' name.

“The light of America's promise will continue to burn brightly as long as we continue to fight,” the email said, adding that “there are still a number of crucial races in the country that are either too close to call or with the margin of recounts or certain legal challenges.”

The emails do not mention Harris' campaign or its finances.

The “Harris Fight Fund” is a post-election label for the “Harris Victory Fund,” the joint fundraising operation of Harris' campaign, the DNC and state Democratic parties. Despite the wording in the recent calls, most contributions from mainstream donors would be sent to the national party unless a donor took the time to contact the DNC directly and have the money go directly to Harris or a state party.

The fine print at the bottom of the invitation explains that the first $41,300 from an individual and the first $15,000 from a political action committee would be allocated to the DNC. The next $3,300 from an individual or $5,000 from a PAC would go to the Harris for President “Recount Account.” Anything above that threshold, up to the maximum contribution limits that could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, would be spread out among state parties.

Officials at the DNC, which will undergo a leadership change early next year, indicated the party has no plans to cover any shortfalls for Harris but could not explicitly rule out the party shifting money to the campaign.

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