ATLANTA (AP) — Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party’s great fundraising effort brought in more than $1 billion in her loss to Donald Trump, but the vice president is still pushing donors for more money even after the election.
Democrats are making persistent appeals to Harris supporters without explicitly asking them to pay off potential debts, instead luring potential donors with other things: the Republican president-elect’s picks for his incoming administration and a handful of outstanding congressional races that are still being voted on counted.
“The Harris campaign certainly spent more than it took in and is now busy fundraising,” said Adrian Hemond, a Democratic strategist in Michigan. He said he was asked by the campaign to aid with fundraising after the Trump loss.
The party floods Harris’ lucrative email donor list with almost daily appeals aimed at compact donors – those whose contributions total hundreds of dollars or less. But Hemond said the post-election effort also includes individual calls to larger donors.
The scramble now underscores the cost of defeat and the immediate challenges facing Democrats as they try to maintain a fundamental political operation to counter the Trump administration and prepare for the 2026 midterm elections. It also calls into question how Democrats used their resources, including hosting events with musicians and other celebrities and running ads in various non-traditional spaces such as the Dome Sphere in Las Vegas.
Internally, the apparent cash crunch is being blamed for the campaign’s decision to stop paying many senior staff starting Saturday, even those who had originally said they would be paid through the end of the year. Amid internal frustration, the campaign told those affected in recent days that their health insurance would be covered through the end of the year, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions.
Another person familiar with the Democratic National Committee’s fundraising and finances said the Harris campaign’s expected deficit was a relatively compact amount compared to the breadth of the campaign, which reportedly began in mid-October before the April 5 election. November had $119 million in cash. This person was not authorized to speak publicly about the campaign’s 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 past due bills” as of Election Day and that “no debts” will be listed in the next financial disclosure for either the campaign or the DNC to be presented to the Federal Election Commission in December.
The person familiar with the DNC’s campaign and finances said it’s impossible to know what Harris’ track record currently looks like. Nearing the end of the race, the campaign is still receiving bills from vendors for events and other services. The campaign also has outstanding receipts; For example, media organizations that have to pay for their employees’ seats on Air Force Two when they are traveling for the vice president’s campaign activities.
Just hours after Trump nominated Florida Republican Matt Gaetz for attorney general on Wednesday, Harris’ supporters received a call for more money for the Harris Fight Fund, citing the emerging Trump team and its agenda.
Gaetz, who resigned his House seat after the announcement, “will use the Justice Department as a weapon to protect himself,” 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 decision.
Another appeal on behalf of Harris followed on Friday.
“The light of the American promise will burn bright as long as we keep fighting,” the email said, adding that “there are still a number of critical races across the country that are either too close to call , or with scope for recounts or certain legal challenges.”
The emails make no mention of Harris’ campaign or its finances.
The Harris Fight Fund is a post-election name for the Harris Victory Fund, the joint fundraising effort of Harris’ campaign, the DNC and the state Democratic parties. Despite the language in the recent appeals, unless a donor takes the time to contact the DNC directly and direct the money directly to Harris or a state party, most donations from ordinary donors would be directed to the national party.
The fine print at the end of the solicitation 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 beyond this threshold, up to maximum contribution limits that can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, would be distributed among individual contracting states.
Officials at the DNC, which is set to undergo a leadership transition early next year, said the party had no plans to cover any shortfalls for Harris but could not specifically rule out the party providing funds to the campaign.
___
Cappelletti reported from Lansing, Michigan. AP National Political Writer Steve Peoples in New York contributed to this report.
