Democrats are still paying for Kamala Harris’ loss to President Donald Trump last year — literally.
The Democratic National Committee has spent more than $15 million on Harris’ 2024 campaign expenses in the first half of 2025, leaving the party with just $15 million cash on hand at the end of July. By comparison, the Republican National Committee — fueled by Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s fundraising — reported $80 million.
The imbalance has sparked frustration within the party. Some donors and senior Democrats remain angry that Harris’ campaign burned through $1.5 billion during a 15-week run and still lost all seven swing states. Others are reluctant to give more as the DNC tries to pivot toward the 2026 midterms.
Democrats have urged Harris to do more fundraising, but her allies insist she has fulfilled her obligations. Harris has allowed the DNC to use her email list and has hosted a handful of small events. Still, the returns have been “disappointing,” two people familiar with the matter told Axios.
“The vice president has collaborated closely with the DNC to manage campaign expenses and expand our base of grassroots donors. She remains fully committed to strengthening the party and helping return Democrats to power,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris’ former campaign chair, told Axios. The DNC declined to comment.
Filings show the party has paid $548,050 to Executive Fliteways Inc. for charter flights, $2.125 million to Assembly House LLC for media production, and $237,201 to the law firm Covington & Burling.
Some Harris allies argue she is being scapegoated, saying criticism is aimed at deflecting from new DNC chair Ken Martin, who they claim has focused more on his public profile than on fundraising.
More over at Axios:
New: Democrats are still paying for Kamala Harris' loss to Donald Trump last year — literally.
The DNC has paid more than $15 million toward paying off Harris 2024 campaign expenses in the first 6 months of 2025.
My look into the party finger-pointing.https://t.co/Yzu25GpH9Q
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) August 25, 2025
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