Harris campaign still soliciting donations to pay off remaining debt

The Kamala Harris presidential campaign, which raised over $1 billion during her short, 107 day bid for the presidency, is facing scrutiny over its spending practices as it continues to solicit donations and seeks to sell its email lists to cover outstanding debts.

The substantial fundraising total came as a surprise given that Harris was a candidate for only a few months. However, despite raising more than $1 billion, and having access to President Joe Biden's campaign war chest, the campaign proved unsuccessful, with Donald Trump securing a decisive victory while raising and spending considerably less. 

According to data from AdImpact cited by the Washington Examiner, Harris spent over $654 million on advertising from late July to Election Day, compared to $378 million spent by Trump during the same period—a 57 percent difference. By mid-October, Harris’ campaign reported total spending of over $880 million, significantly surpassing Trump’s expenditures by approximately $526 million.

The campaign's spending included substantial investments in digital media advertising, polling, travel, and private jet usage. Payroll and taxes accounted for $56.6 million while consulting fees exceeded $12.8 million.

“Advertising is a pretty important source of information for swing voters,” explained Republican political strategist Brad Todd, per the Washington Examiner. “It no doubt matters, but it’s not enough. It doesn’t matter if you have the wrong message and it’s not delivered in a compelling way. What her campaign was missing was any effort to break with the unpopular administration she has been a part of.”

The Washington Examiner also reported that Harris' campaign spent six figures to construct a set for her appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast with Alex Cooper, one of the limited media interviews she gave. The interview was reportedly filmed at a Washington, DC, hotel.

Despite the election being over, the Harris campaign is still receiving contributions, according to a report by Puck. With remaining debts from campaign spending, the Harris campaign is reportedly working with Democratic groups to sell a dataset of donor emails and phone numbers to help offset its losses—a common practice among political campaigns of both parties.