Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ fundraising efforts for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have struggled to meet expectations, Axios reports, as the party continues to cover expenses from her 2024 presidential campaign.
Harris allowed the DNC to access her email list to help solicit donations and reportedly held a few small fundraising events.
“But the total money raised from the events has been disappointing,” Axios reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
After Harris lost to President Donald Trump in 2024, some top Democrats expressed concern about lingering campaign debt.
“How do you raise a historic amount of money and not win a single swing state?” one Harris aide told Axios in November following the election. “The honest answer is: I don’t know. It seems we lost the national narrative, and that’s what we need to diagnose.”
Axios noted that some Democrats are frustrated the campaign spent $1.5 billion during Harris’ 107-day election effort.
“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,” former Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told Axios.
Harris’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The DNC has spent more than $15 million covering Harris’ 2024 campaign debt in the first months of 2025, Axios reports. Some Democratic donors have also shown hesitation in giving to the DNC as they prepare for the midterms.
Over the past six months, the DNC has paid $548,050 to a charter flight company, $2.1 million to a media production company, and $237,201 to a law firm on behalf of Harris’ campaign, according to Axios.
