Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party鈥檚 prodigious fundraising operation raised more than $1 billion in her loss to Donald Trump, but the vice president is still pushing donors for more money after the election.
Democrats are sending persistent appeals to Harris supporters without expressly asking them to cover any potential debts, enticing would-be donors instead with other matters: the Republican president-elect鈥檚 picks for his upcoming administration and a handful of pending congressional contests where ballots are still being tallied.
鈥淭he Harris campaign certainly spent more than they raised and is now busy trying to fundraise,鈥� said Adrian Hemond, a Democratic strategist from Michigan. He said he was been asked by the campaign after its loss to Trump to help with fundraising.
The party is flooding Harris鈥� lucrative email donor list with near-daily appeals aimed at small-dollar donors 鈥� those whose contributions are measured in the hundreds of dollars or less. But Hemond said the postelection effort also includes individual calls to larger donors.
One person familiar with the effort and the Democratic National Committee鈥檚 finances said the Harris campaign鈥檚 expected shortfall is a relatively small sum compared to the breadth of the campaign, which reported having $119 million cash on hand in mid-October before the Nov. 5 election. That person was not authorized to publicly discuss the campaign鈥檚 finances and spoke on condition of anonymity.
But the scramble now underscores the expense involved in a losing effort and the immediate challenges facing Democrats as they try to maintain a baseline 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 as well as running ads in a variety of nontraditional spaces such as Las Vegas鈥� domed Sphere.
Patrick Stauffer, chief financial officer for the Harris campaign, said in a statement that 鈥渢here were no outstanding debts or bills overdue鈥� on Election Day and there 鈥渨ill be no debt鈥� listed for either the campaign or the DNC on their next financial disclosures, which are due to the Federal Election Commission in December.
The person familiar with the campaign and DNC鈥檚 finances said it was impossible to know just where Harris鈥� balance sheet stands currently. The campaign still is getting invoices from vendors for events and other services from near the end of the race. The campaign also has outstanding receipts for example, from media organizations that must pay for their employees鈥� spots on Air Force Two as it traveled for the vice president鈥檚 campaign activities.
Within hours of Trump picking Florida Republican Matt Gaetz for attorney general on Wednesday, Harris鈥� supporters got an appeal for more money for 鈥渢he Harris Fight Fund,鈥� citing the emerging Trump team and its agenda.
Gaetz, who resigned his House seat after the announcement, 鈥渨ill weaponize the Justice Department to protect themselves,鈥� the email said. It said Democrats 鈥渕ust stop them from executing Trump鈥檚 plans for revenge and retribution鈥� and noted that 鈥渆ven his Republican allies are shocked by this鈥� Cabinet choice.
Another appeal followed Friday in Harris鈥� name.
鈥淭he light of America鈥檚 promise will burn bright as long as we keep fighting,鈥� the email said, adding that 鈥渢here are still a number of critical races across the country that are either too close to call or with the margin of recounts or certain legal challenges.鈥�
The emails do not mention Harris鈥� campaign or its finances.
The 鈥淗arris Fight Fund鈥� is a postelection label for the 鈥淗arris Victory Fund,鈥� which is the joint fundraising operation of Harris鈥� campaign, the DNC and state Democratic parties. Despite the language in the recent appeals, most rank-and-file donors鈥� contributions would be routed to the national party, unless a donor took the time to contact DNC directly and have the money go directly to Harris or a state party.
The fine print at the bottom of the solicitation explains that the first $41,300 from a person and first $15,000 from a political action committee would be allocated to the DNC. The next $3,300 from a person or $5,000 from a PAC would go to the Harris for President 鈥淩ecount Account.鈥� Anything beyond that threshold, up to maximum contribution limits that can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, would be spread across state parties.
Officials at the DNC, which is set to undergo a leadership change early next year, indicated the party has no plans to cover any shortfall for Harris but could not explicitly rule out the party shifting any money to the campaign.
