Not only did she fail in the votes, but Harris's campaign also shocked with a debt of up to $20 million, raising many questions about the strategy and direction of the Democratic Party in the future.
An official from the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Lindy Li, called Harris's campaign a "$1 billion disaster." Li, a member of the DNC National Finance Committee, shared on a Fox program that she had contributed millions to this campaign and now faces the responsibility of explaining to her donors why it failed. According to her, many in the party were mistakenly convinced that the race would be a close contest, leading to a strong investment in Harris's campaign.
The head of Harris's campaign, Jen O’Malley Dillon, had confidently promised that Harris would win. O’Malley Dillon also posted many videos affirming this, which Li believes misled her and the donors. With the belief that Harris would win, donors wrote large checks to support her, and now many feel like they have been "duped" as the race did not unfold as they expected.
"They are in debt $20 million or $18 million. It's hard to believe, and I've contributed millions of that. I have friends to whom I have to explain and take responsibility for what happened because I told them this was a close race," Lindy Li further shared.
The strategist stated that her campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, "promised all of us that Harris would win."
Following Harris's defeat, Democratic members began to criticize the party's strategy in this election. Some argued that the party had not moved far enough to the left to attract core voters, while moderates insisted that the party's shift too far left had alienated moderate voters in battleground states.
This failure is not only Harris's failure but also raises a big question about the direction of the Democratic Party in the future. Many in the party believe that there needs to be a change in communication methods and a more thorough assessment of the voter situation, while also reconsidering the strategy to achieve success in future elections.