Money can’t buy happiness or a presidential election. Democratic donors just learned that the hard way.
After a candidate loses a high-profile, competitive race, the blame game begins. There are many places to point the finger when assessing Vice President Kamala Harris’ run.
She entered the race late and only after President Joe Biden had a career-ending debate implosion. She didn’t run a primary gauntlet, which meant voters didn’t know her very well. Having to endure even a token primary may have helped her improve her interview skills. She struggled to separate herself from the failed policies of the Biden/Harris administration. She took a number of radical positions when running for president in 2019. The Trump campaign effectively used her own words to show voters that she was a radical leftist.
But one common excuse for political failure, a lack of funding, doesn’t apply. Harris spent an astonishing $1.5 billion during her 15-week campaign. That works out to around $100 million a week. But even that understates her financial resources. When combined with Biden’s fundraising, the two Democratic campaigns had more than $2.1 billion, according to The New York Times. The Times reported the Trump campaign and Republican Party raised $1.2 billion.
Money is certainly an important factor in political races. But the election results show its limits.