In 2016, Hillary Clinton outraised and outspent Donald Trump nearly two-to-one and lost. As humiliating as that was for her, the Harris-Walz campaign was even worse, outraising him three-to-one and outspending him by even more. Her campaign raised over a billion dollars and ended in debt, while the Trump campaign had money to spare.
I challenge you to find a more apt metaphor for the stark contrast in financial management between Republicans and Democrats.
There is no doubt that Kamala’s fundraising apparatus brought in enormous sums, a financial feat that would normally signal a candidate with solid grassroots support and a focused, ambitious agenda.
The reality was starkly different. She may have had a loyal network of left-wing billionaires and shady donation schemes by ActBlue, but that was no match for the genuine grassroots support of Trump. Despite her ability to raise a billion dollars for a campaign that lasted just over three months, she couldn’t win a single battleground state.
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So ask yourself, in these tough financial times, what was the Harris-Walz campaign doing with all that money, and why should small donors trust any Democrat candidate again? PJM’s Robert Spencer addressed how much money the campaign spent and where it went.
A significant chunk went toward advertising, with the Harris campaign and its affiliated committees spending over $654 million compared to Trump’s $378 million — 57% less.
The campaign also allocated millions for travel, including payments to a private jet company, reflecting a disconnect from average voters. Payroll costs were astronomical, totaling $56.6 million, far outpacing Trump’s $9 million. Additionally, Harris spent $12.8 million on political consultants, who, despite their hefty paychecks, clearly failed to deliver results.
Other lavish expenditures included over $15 million on celebrities to boost attendance at events and a cool million to Oprah Winfrey for hosting a town hall. Oprah denies this, of course, but we have the receipts.
Far from being a campaign focused on efficiency or grassroots support, Harris’s spending choices reveal a pattern of waste and indulgence.
This callous spending by the campaign tells us that the Harris-Walz campaign was never a serious political operation. It was a billion-dollar grift that was never meant to fund a victorious campaign but rather to fatten the wallets of the Democrat establishment.
How is it possible to raise a billion dollars and have nothing to show for it? The campaign didn't have better organization, stronger messaging, or greater traction in key battleground states. But the staffers and consultants were grossly overpaid.
I've been saying for months that Kamala Harris was a sacrificial lamb, and Democrats are now coming out of the woodwork pointing out that she wasn't the best candidate, but they had no choice but to rally behind her. Still, she raised a billion dollars because donors were told she could win. Democrats lied to their donors to raise money for the consultant class and left-wing celebrities.
If you're a Democrat small donor, why would you trust this party again? The financial mismanagement of the Harris-Walz campaign wasn't just scandalous, it was criminal.
