Former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) made a “handshake deal” after her massive defeat in the 2024 presidential election, which saw the party cover all of her outstanding campaign bills, according to a report.
Under the terms of the private agreement, the cash-strapped DNC paid off about $20.5 million in debts owed by the Harris campaign in exchange for the failed Democratic presidential nominee’s pledge to raise money for the Democratic Party to make the entity “whole financially,” the New York Times reported on Monday.
Federal Election Commission records show several six-figure sums the DNC has doled out to pollsters, printers, consultants, charter airlines and numerous event production companies, on behalf of Harris, since the presidential election.
One event production company, Freeman, has received nine separate payments from the DNC since last December, totaling about $3.5 million.
The Harris campaign put on several star-studded concerts in the days leading up to Election Day, and spent an eye-popping $1.5 billion during the former vice president’s 15-week run, only to lose all the popular vote, the Electoral College and all seven swing states to President Trump.
In June, the DNC had touted raising “a record $40 million” in the first four months of Chairman Ken Martin’s tenure, a figure “more than any other chair in that time frame.”
However, the committee went into 2025 with $22.1 million on hand and ended July with only $13.9 million, in large part due to the deal to pay off Harris’ debts, FEC records show.
Harris’ deal with the DNC was not disclosed to the former VP’s donors, and she has continued to solicit funds from her network of supporters with the stated purpose that the money would be going toward future election cycles – when it’s actually going to settle her old bills.
“They will put your donation to work immediately toward winning the next set of elections,” Harris wrote in one February email to supporters, according to the New York Times.
The outlet reported that the DNC is maintaining “a ledger” to keep track of how much Harris is raising compared to what bills of hers the party has paid off.
The most recent Harris campaign expense the DNC has footed the bill for was to Howard University, in the amount of $498,287.30.
The historically black college, where Harris went to undergrad, is also where the former vice president made her concession speech.
The DNC did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
