Failed Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris spent tens of millions on celebrity appearances for events only to suffer a massive loss in the 2024 election. It turns out that not talking to real, everyday, hardworking people and instead relying on the country’s out-of-touch elite won’t get you very far.
Harris’ campaign blew $20 million, meant to persuade “low-propensity voters,” on celeb-filled concerts on election eve that, according to a new report, did absolutely nothing to boost the vice president’s chances.
Following Harris’ defeat by President-elect Donald Trump, staffers and vendors are concerned they won’t get paid. Despite banking $1 billion in campaign funds, a report from the New York Post suggested that Harris’ team is in debt by that same amount they promised to pay for the concerts. Former Obama campaigner Stephanie Cutter initially floated the concert idea but was approved by the Harris-Walz campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon. However, following the vice president’s devastating loss, Dillon has tried to dodge having to write the checks.
Although the talent, including Lady Gaga, Jon Bon Jovi, and Katy Perry, performed at the venues across the seven swing states for free, the Harris campaign is still responsible for paying for the venues, security, staging, sound, and other costs. A performance by Alanis Morissette was reportedly canceled to save money.
This comes after a Politico reporter claimed the Harris-Walz campaign is in massive debt.
“They said they were ‘spending to zero.’ I guess they overshot zero,” a source told the Post. “They had huge advance teams for these concerts, like 40-60 people in some cities. I’m sure vendors will start to get upset soon.”
Another source criticized the Harris-Walz campaign for misusing funds that could have been spent on ads highlighting economic policies, such as inflation and the economy, among voters' top concerns.
“It didn’t matter to have a bunch of celebrities talking to no one because one, 75 million people already voted and two, people were concerned about their own financial issues, not Oprah telling them America won’t exist,” the source told the outlet.
The source said the payment for the vendors is still pending.
As it turns out, Harris’ efforts to round up votes in swing states using unrelatable celebrities didn’t work very well. Instead, Trump swept away, securing all seven battleground states in a sweeping victory.
On the contrary, the Trump campaign had a fraction of Harris' team’s money—yet they could still pull off a historic win. While Harris focused on spending funds on big-name Hollywood celebrities, Trump spent his campaign money wisely, abandoning the traditional ground game and instead relying on a small paid staff, outsourcing volunteers, and mobilizing others such as Elon Musk.