Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign spent $20 million on election-eve concerts featuring major pop stars in swing states, but all those states ultimately went to Donald Trump.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign is under scrutiny after revelations that $20 million was spent on concerts featuring Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and other major performers the night before the election. According to a New York Post report, the concerts were intended to mobilize “low-propensity voters” in key swing states, but those states—Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Nevada, among others—went to President-elect Donald Trump.
Lavish Spending Amid Mounting Debt
Harris’s campaign, which raised over $1 billion from donors, now faces $20 million in debt. The campaign’s financial woes are exacerbated by unpaid invoices to vendors and contractors involved in the concerts. Despite the stars waiving their performance fees, the campaign incurred steep costs for staging, sound, and security.
Campaign staffers have criticized the decision-making process, with one insider claiming that the concert plans were greenlit late, causing production costs to soar. “Putting [concerts] together last minute makes [them] cost twice as much,” the source told The Post.
Election-Eve Star Power
The campaign hosted seven concerts in swing states, with performances by Jon Bon Jovi in Detroit, Christina Aguilera in Las Vegas, Katy Perry in Pittsburgh, and Lady Gaga in Philadelphia. Despite these efforts, the strategy failed to deliver results, as Trump secured victories in all targeted states.
The campaign also held earlier events featuring Lizzo, Eminem, and Megan Thee Stallion. While these rallies attracted significant attention, critics viewed them as a sign that Harris relied heavily on celebrity appearances to draw crowds.
Internal Blame Game
Reports indicate that Stephanie Cutter and David Plouffe, alumni of President Obama’s campaigns, championed the election-eve concert strategy. Campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon approved the plans but now distances herself from the fallout, according to campaign insiders. “Jen blew through a billion dollars in a few months,” a staffer told Breitbart News in a statement, adding that the concerts were “all Jen’s idea.”
Dana Rosenzweig, the campaign’s operations chief, is also under fire for failing to manage the budget effectively. “They said they were ‘spending to zero.’ I guess they overshot zero,” a source quipped to The Post.
Hollywood Connections and Donor Concerns
Harris’s campaign was fueled by major donations from Hollywood executives, celebrities, and prominent Democratic contributors like the Soros family. However, the extravagant spending has raised questions about fiscal responsibility and campaign priorities.
One staffer summed up the frustration within the campaign: “We spent millions on flashy concerts while failing to address core voter concerns. It’s no surprise we fell short.”
A Campaign Postmortem
As the Harris campaign grapples with financial fallout and internal finger-pointing, the failed election-eve strategy serves as a cautionary tale. The costly efforts to energize voters with star-studded events may have backfired, leaving the campaign in disarray and the Democratic Party facing tough questions about its future direction.
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