The Democratic National Committee has spent more than $20 million in 2025 to cover campaign debts for former Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a report by Axios.
The outlet revealed that in the first six months of the year alone, the DNC spent over $15 million toward Harris’s campaign expenses. The spending came after her failed 2024 presidential bid, which ended in a sweeping defeat to President Trump.
According to The New York Times, the deal between Harris and the DNC was based on a private “handshake agreement.” The party agreed to pick up the tab for Harris’s campaign debts. In exchange, Harris promised to raise enough money to reimburse the DNC and help restore its finances.
Federal Election Commission records show that the DNC has paid a wide range of post-election bills on behalf of Harris. These include six-figure payments to pollsters, charter airlines, consultants, and event production companies. One vendor, Freeman, received nine separate payments totaling $3.5 million.
Despite raising over $1 billion during her 15-week campaign, Harris ended her run with $20 million in debt. Her campaign spent roughly $1.5 billion in total and lost all seven swing states, the Electoral College, and the popular vote.
The DNC’s decision to assume the campaign’s debts has triggered backlash within the party. Some donors and senior Democrats are angry over the scale of the spending. Others are hesitant to give more money as the DNC tries to shift its focus toward the 2026 midterm elections.
The New York Times also reported that small-dollar donors were not informed that their contributions were being used to pay off campaign bills. Harris’s fundraising emails, more than 100 of which were sent in 2025, made no mention of the agreement with the DNC. One February email stated, “They will put your donation to work immediately toward winning the next set of elections.”
The DNC is now keeping a ledger to track how much Harris raises compared to what the party has spent. The most recent recorded payment was to Howard University, in the amount of $498,287.30. That is where Harris gave her concession speech in late 2024.
While DNC Chair Ken Martin previously touted a record-breaking $40 million fundraising haul earlier this year, the party’s cash reserves have dropped sharply. It began 2025 with $22.1 million on hand and ended July with just $13.9 million. Much of that decline is tied to the Harris agreement, according to FEC filings.
The Republican National Committee, by comparison, reported $80 million in available funds at the end of June. The DNC declined to comment on the reports.