Harris campaign spends $20 million on election-eve concerts Sparks vendor, staff payment concerns

The Kamala Harris campaign reportedly spent up to $20 million on swing-state concerts on the eve of the election, a move that has led to internal criticism and concerns that staff and vendors may not be paid.

The concerts—featuring performances by Jon Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and others—were organized to energize lower-propensity voters in key states, but their hefty cost contributed to the campaign’s financial troubles, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The concerts were pushed by Obama campaign veterans Stephanie Cutter and David Plouffe, who joined Harris’s campaign after she replaced Joe Biden at the top of the ticket in July. However, the last-minute planning led to higher production costs, with one planned performance by Alanis Morissette scrapped to save money. Campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon was reportedly reluctant to approve the concerts, and her delays resulted in inflated costs.

While the artists performed for free, the events required substantial logistical and financial resources. As election day approached, it became clear that the campaign had drained much of its $1 billion war chest, leading to efforts to cut concert costs, though some overruns occurred.

Despite the high expenditure, the concerts garnered little media attention, with the exception of a Philadelphia rally where Oprah Winfrey made headlines. In the end, voters in all seven swing states chose Donald Trump, raising questions about the effectiveness of the concert strategy.

With the campaign now reportedly $20 million in debt, concerns are rising over unpaid vendors and staff. Although the campaign’s finance team is working on reconciling the accounts, several insiders criticized the spending, suggesting funds could have been better used on targeted ads focusing on economic issues affecting voters.

Meanwhile, as Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign grapples with its loss to President-elect Donald Trump, blame has been circulating between her team and President Biden's advisers. Some Biden aides are blaming top political strategists Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti for pushing Biden to run for re-election at 80. Meanwhile, Harris' team is pointing to flaws in Biden's earlier campaign, citing low approval ratings and a botched debate performance by the president.

David Plouffe, a top Harris aide, implied the campaign faced major challenges, even though the team’s efforts were praised by some insiders for being nearly flawless. But criticism arose over Harris’ team's late decision-making, which led to expensive and ineffective concerts aimed at energizing voters. Others within Harris’ campaign blamed leadership for overconfidence and poor management. Some felt Harris should have used Biden more, even though he was unpopular.

Biden’s spokesperson defended the decision to run and dismissed Harris' campaign criticisms. Meanwhile, frustrations mounted over the lack of clarity within Harris' campaign, with some accusing her team of mismanagement. Despite raising over $1 billion in a short time, the campaign ended in debt, leaving staffers disillusioned by the outcome.

As Biden's approval ratings, inflation, and immigration issues loomed large, many felt the campaign's economic policies did not resonate with voters, giving Trump an edge.

By Vafa Guliyeva