Kamala Harris raised $1 billion-plus in defeat. She’s nonetheless sending continual appeals to donors

By way of BILL BARROW and JOEY CAPPELLETTI

ATLANTA — Kamala Harris and the Democratic Birthday party’s prodigious fundraising operation raised greater than $1 billion in her loss to Donald Trump, however the vp remains to be pushing donors for extra money after the election.

Democrats are sending continual appeals to Harris supporters with out expressly asking them to hide any possible money owed, engaging would-be donors as an alternative with different issues: the Republican president-elect’s alternatives for his upcoming management and a handful of pending congressional contests the place ballots are nonetheless being tallied.

“The Harris marketing campaign without a doubt spent greater than they raised and is now busy looking to fundraise,” stated Adrian Hemond, a Democratic strategist from Michigan. He stated he used to be been requested by means of the marketing campaign after its loss to Trump to lend a hand with fundraising.

The birthday party is flooding Harris’ profitable e mail donor record with near-daily appeals aimed toward small-dollar donors — the ones whose contributions are measured within the masses of bucks or much less. However Hemond stated the postelection effort additionally comprises person calls to greater donors.

The scramble now underscores the expense excited by a dropping effort and the fast demanding situations going through Democrats as they are trying to deal with a baseline political operation to counter the Trump management and get ready for the 2026 midterm elections. It additionally calls into query how Democrats used their sources, together with webhosting occasions with musicians and different celebrities in addition to working commercials in quite a lot of nontraditional areas equivalent to Las Vegas’ domed Sphere.

Internally, the obvious money crunch is being blamed for the marketing campaign’s resolution to prevent paying many senior group of workers as of Saturday, even the ones to begin with advised they might be paid throughout the finish of the 12 months. Going through inner frustration, the marketing campaign notified the ones affected in fresh days that their medical insurance could be coated throughout the finish of the 12 months, in step with one particular person with direct wisdom of the location who spoke on situation of anonymity to percentage inner discussions.

Someone else conversant in the fundraising effort and the Democratic Nationwide Committee’s funds stated the Harris marketing campaign’s anticipated shortfall is a moderately small sum in comparison to the breadth of the marketing campaign, which reported having $119 million money available in mid-October earlier than the Nov. 5 election. That particular person used to be now not licensed to publicly speak about the marketing campaign’s funds and spoke on situation of anonymity.

Patrick Stauffer, leader monetary officer for the Harris marketing campaign, stated in a commentary that “there have been no exceptional money owed or expenses late” on Election Day and there “will probably be no debt” indexed for both the marketing campaign or the DNC on their subsequent monetary disclosures, that are because of the Federal Election Fee in December.

The individual conversant in the marketing campaign and DNC’s funds stated it used to be unimaginable to grasp simply the place Harris’ stability sheet stands these days. The marketing campaign nonetheless is getting invoices from distributors for occasions and different products and services from close to the top of the race. The marketing campaign additionally has exceptional receipts; for instance, from media organizations that will have to pay for his or her staff’ spots on Air Pressure Two because it traveled for the vp’s marketing campaign actions.

Inside hours of Trump choosing Florida Republican Matt Gaetz for legal professional normal on Wednesday, Harris’ supporters were given an attraction for extra money for “the Harris Battle Fund,” bringing up the rising Trump staff and its schedule.

Gaetz, who resigned his Space seat after the announcement, “will weaponize the Justice Division to give protection to themselves,” the e-mail stated. It stated Democrats “will have to forestall them from executing Trump’s plans for revenge and retribution” and famous that “even his Republican allies are surprised by means of this” Cupboard selection.

Any other attraction adopted Friday in Harris’ identify.

“The sunshine of The us’s promise will burn brilliant so long as we stay preventing,” the e-mail stated, including that “there are nonetheless numerous vital races around the nation which are both too with reference to name or with the margin of recounts or sure felony demanding situations.”

The emails don’t point out Harris’ marketing campaign or its funds.

The “Harris Battle Fund” is a postelection label for the “Harris Victory Fund,” which is the joint fundraising operation of Harris’ marketing campaign, the DNC and state Democratic events. In spite of the language within the fresh appeals, maximum rank-and-file donors’ contributions could be routed to the nationwide birthday party, until a donor took the time to touch DNC immediately and feature the cash cross immediately to Harris or a state birthday party.