Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris finds herself with a staggering $1 billion in campaign cash, a fundraising effort monumental in scale but distressingly futile in effect. Despite shelling out almost a quarter of a billion dollars on advertising since September, Harris has failed to create a winning narrative that resonates with voters. Even with her financial might eclipsing that of Donald Trump’s campaign, the real question remains: how does one burn through billions and still fall flat on their face?
The Harris campaign has reportedly been engaging in a spending spree like it’s Black Friday, with her team raking in over $500 million by the end of August alone and boosting media buys to $136.6 million shortly thereafter. In stark contrast, the Trump campaign managed to pull in a “piddly” $130 million in the same month. Yet, despite the cash advantage, it appears Harris has mismanaged her billions like a kid with a new credit card in a candy store.
Harris campaign’s record $1bn funds fail to translate into swing state advantage https://t.co/1whXZ8TLve
— Guardian US (@GuardianUS) October 10, 2024
Polling data would further suggest that Harris’s $1 billion war chest seems about as effective as bringing a butter knife to a gunfight. Even while tossing money at ads, Trump has surged in popularity, boasting a 59.5% chance of retaining the White House according to Polymarket. Meanwhile, Harris is battling to hold onto a measly 1.7% lead, and RealClearPolitics forecasts that Trump is primed for a solid comeback with 302 electoral votes. It seems that while Harris has the bucks, Trump has the backing.
Critics within the Trump campaign have astutely pointed out the core issue with Harris’s plummeting popularity: she simply cannot convince voters that she embodies “change,” nor has she managed to provide any compelling arguments that would help voters feel that her leadership would deviate from Biden’s administration. Some would argue that it’s hard to push a new narrative when the past administration is your past administration.
In an effort to bolster her image, Harris’s team has notably floundered with bizarre ad placements. One such advertisement—that went viral for all the wrong reasons—attempted to portray modern masculinity through scenarios so exaggerated they could only be described as comedic gags. Featuring men “eating carburetors for breakfast” and making statements that even time itself would find laughable, the ad failed to inspire confidence in straight male voters. Some observers have suggested comedy wasn’t the intended genre for a political ad.
Even Harris’s running mate, Governor Tim Walz, tried to embody rugged masculinity on a hunting trip, only to fumble with a shotgun and provide social media with moments of subtle ridicule that turned into viral splashes of embarrassment. With these constant missteps, it’s no wonder voters question whether Harris and her camp have any real grasp on the sensibilities of heartland Americans.
As the campaign fast approaches its final stretch, Harris seems to be pivoting into overdrive with several desperate tactics to shore up declining support. She has called in the heavy artillery, including former President Barack Obama, to reinforce her base by declaring that voting for Trump is tantamount to “putting women down.” To further diversify her appeal, she announced an “Opportunity Agenda” designed ostensibly to assist black entrepreneurs—an initiative that could also be viewed as a last-minute scramble to claw back support from a wavering constituency.
With Harris’s desperate acts culminating in chaotic media strategies, one thing remains crystal clear: while she may have a billion dollars, it seems she lacks the political savvy to turn those dollars into votes. With the clock ticking down to November, Americans will be keenly watching whether all this spending translates to any measure of success—or whether it continues to tumble into the vast current of political futility.
