Kamala Harris is a problem that Democrats just can’t get rid of.
Many in the party wish they never nominated Harris.
And now Kamala Harris walked Democrats into a trap with this bad move.
As Great American Digest reports:
Kamala Harris raised $1.5 billion in 107 days.
That’s an unheard-of sum of money in such a short period of time.
Hollywood and Wall Street opened their checkbooks big time.
But online donors powered the Kamala Harris fundraising surge.
At the end of August, Kamala Harris’ campaign reported raising $497 million in the six weeks since she entered the race.
42 percent of that total came from donors who gave less than $200.
And even though the campaign is over, Harris’ team is still pummeling its email list with two to three emails a day.
“Even a quick donation of $50 is enough to help us in this fight,” one email to Harris’ list read. “And with only hours left to hit our goal today, NOW is the best time to rush your support.”
There is a reason for this frenetic email fundraising pace.
That’s because, despite raising $1.5 billion in 107 days, Kamala Harris blew the money at such a clip that her campaign ended up tens of millions of dollars in debt.
“The fundraising appeals may be necessary: Harris’ operation ended with around $20 million in debt, according to two people familiar with her campaign finances and granted anonymity to speak freely. And there are limited ways campaigns can pay that down under federal law,” POLITICO reported.
Democrats are sympathetic to her plight.
But party strategists worried that bombarding the list of supporters with appeals for money to pay down the debt of a losing campaign will hurt the party down the road.
“I understand that the Harris campaign is in a very difficult position with the debt that they have, and so sometimes you just have to make practical decisions,” said online fundraising consultant Mike Nellis – whose clients include major Democrat House and Senate candidates. “But yeah, I think that stuff like that erodes trust.”
The big advantage Democrats have over Republicans in the online money chase is the online fundraising platform ActBlue, which serves as a clearinghouse for PACs, interest groups, and campaigns.
In the final 90 days before Election Day, more than 31 million donors contributed nearly $1.5 billion through ActBlue.
This is the golden goose.
And Democrats are panicked that Kamala Harris – someone with no long-term future in the party – is going to kill it because her campaign spent money like a drunken sailor and ended up in debt.