The Democratic National Committee paid $1.6 million last month to cover debt from the 2024 presidential campaign of Kamala Harris, bringing the DNC's total payout to the campaign to more than $20 million, Axios reported Wednesday.
The DNC is trying to rebuild in the aftermath of last year's defeat on Election Day, but is being hindered by debts the party accumulated during 2024.
During her 107-day presidential campaign, Harris spent an unprecedented $1.5 billion, and invoices from that spending continue to arrive at the DNC almost a year later.
Axios reported that Democratic officials are not sure how much outstanding debt remains from the Harris campaign.
By the end of last month, the DNC had only about $12 million in cash on hand, as the Democrats made investments in campaigns in Virginia and New Jersey, along with other races in various states.
Although the DNC usually covers such debts after a presidential campaign, doing so can make it more difficult for a losing party to rebuild for the next election cycle, Axios reported.
Even after the victorious 2012 election, in which Barack Obama won reelection, the DNC also was responsible for more than $20 million in debt.
The DNC did not manage to fully pay off that debt until 2015, even with Obama helping to raise funds in the years afterward.
That situation left the DNC in a vulnerable position heading into the 2016 election, which Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.