Kamala Harris thought she was on the fast track to history. After Joe Biden’s exit, she stepped into the Democratic spotlight, assuming her victory was all but assured. However, on election night, she found herself facing not triumph but an embarrassing defeat to Donald Trump.

Despite her confidence—and the Democratic machine behind her—Harris struggled in county after county, underperforming even in areas Biden comfortably carried in 2020. Trump, meanwhile, surged ahead, building on his 2020 gains and winning across battleground states. Harris, who saw herself as a trailblazer destined to be the first female president, instead became the fall guy for her party’s missteps.

This wasn’t just a close loss. It was a resounding blow. Harris found herself humiliated on the national stage, and her campaign’s lack of ability didn’t help. Harris’s dreams of victory vanished as she conceded defeat to Trump, marking the end of her presidential aspirations. Perhaps even her political career. In a sense, she was the face the Democratic Party needed to take the loss—a sacrificial lamb in an election year they couldn’t win. Now, she is hit with one final humiliation.

From The Post Millennial:
Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign ended $20 million in debt, according to a new report, despite having brought in $1 billion in campaign donations since ousting Joe Biden from the top of the ticket on July 21 and replacing him with his vice president.

Ok so this just got very explosive. A Kamala campaign staffer who saw these posts called me just now and said there is a massive scandal here worthy of an audit.

The $20 million debt thing is real. Rob Flaherty, this staffer said, is currently shopping around the Kamala… https://t.co/7EJ9ruKQzs

— Matthew Boyle (@mboyle1) November 7, 2024

Campaign of Celebrity and Debt

What went wrong with Harris’ campaign? Let’s start with the staggering $20 million in debt she ended with. According to reports, Harris’s campaign, helmed by chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, raked in over $1 billion in donations. But the funds dried up quickly, with some pointing fingers at O’Malley Dillon’s extravagant spending on glitzy events.

The campaign boasted star-studded concerts featuring Katy Perry, Lizzo, Eminem, and Bruce Springsteen—a flashy distraction that may have done more harm than good. These high-priced events were reportedly “all Jen’s idea,” according to one campaign insider, who noted that social media and ground game spending fell by the wayside.

As the debts piled up, even Harris’s own team started to question the campaign’s priorities. Deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty began “shopping around the Kamala fundraising email list,” trying to squeeze out every last dollar to make up for the campaign’s ballooning debt. Insiders reported a fractured campaign staff, with O’Malley Dillon acting as a “gatekeeper” who prevented Harris’s team from running a campaign true to her vision.

Instead, they claimed, the campaign continued to rely on Biden’s outdated playbook, operating from Biden’s home base in Delaware instead of centering around Harris. It was a campaign stuck in the past, mismanaged and misaligned with the new Democratic face they hoped Harris would embody.

The Debt Trap and a Fractured Staff

As the post-election dust settles, former Harris staffers are left wondering what went so wrong. The campaign had an unprecedented war chest, but somehow, it’s millions in the red. Some of the campaign’s staff are still waiting on overdue payments for their work.

For Harris’s team, this wasn’t just an electoral defeat—it was a mismanagement nightmare. Sources on the inside expressed frustration, claiming the campaign felt more like a poorly executed Biden rerun than a Harris original. The team, they say, was plagued by disorganization and top-down control that stifled creativity and wasted resources on flashy celebrity events rather than securing votes.

A campaign staffer, speaking to Breitbart, revealed that many felt shut out by O’Malley Dillon’s domineering leadership style. Harris, they said, never got to run a “Kamala campaign” but instead was boxed into the mold left by Biden’s operation. And as the financial troubles mount, there are questions about where all that campaign cash went.

Flaherty, now on a mission to recover funds, is selling off access to Harris’s fundraising list to cover debts. But for those close to the campaign, the realization has hit hard: Harris’s shot at being the first female president is over, marked not by a noble loss but by financial chaos and disappointment.

The Fall of a “First Female President” Dream

What’s left for Kamala Harris after this defeat? She was supposed to be the Democratic Party’s future, the “first female president” who would carry Biden’s legacy forward. Instead, her loss to Trump signals a major shift in the Democratic Party, one that raises questions about the party’s future and its leadership choices.

For now, Harris’s political dreams are shattered, her legacy marred by a campaign mismanaged from start to finish. Even in reliably blue states, she underperformed, struggling to capture the same support that Biden had in 2020.

In the end, Harris’s story will serve as a cautionary tale within her party. Her failure highlights the challenges of running a campaign without focus or consistency.

With $20 million in debt, staff waiting on payments, and a nation watching her concession speech at Howard University, Harris’s campaign leaves behind a bitter legacy. She may have aimed for history, but instead, she’s left her party wondering how it all went so wrong.

Key Takeaways

• Harris’s campaign ended in both defeat and a massive $20 million debt.
• Mismanagement and celebrity events wasted over $1 billion in campaign funds.
• Democratic insiders now question the party’s future leadership strategy.

Source: The Post Millennial