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Kamala Harris lost. Some donors are still funding a ‘victory.’

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The “victory” part didn’t pan out for the Harris Victory Fund. But the funding part remains alive and well on the bank statements of some Democratic donors.

Two months after Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump, the joint fundraising committee her campaign set up with the Democratic National Committee is still charging monthly recurring donors to the committee. And some donors are not happy.

“It’s silly, out of touch, and needlessly takes advantage of our most loyal supporters,” said a Democratic operative who shared screenshots of their donations. The person was granted anonymity to describe the situation without fear of professional reprisal.

The operative didn’t flinch at a December charge, given the wrap-up expenses associated with any campaign (though the Harris camp entered late November with more than $1.8 million in cash).

But a January charge? The Harris donor said the committee solicited no explicit approval to continue the donations after the election, though it sent emails saying, “Thank you for your generous monthly commitment,” and that the donations will continue “until you contact us.”

The ongoing debits constitute the latest dust-up over the ethics of online fundraising — particularly when it comes to signing up small-dollar donors for recurring credit-card contributions that get set on autopilot.

The 2020 Trump campaign raised gobs of cash in part by making it increasingly difficult for donors to see that they were signing up for monthly automatic donations, including hiding it in pre-checked boxes buried in fine print. Those tactics helped result in more than a half million refunds totalling $64 million for the last two and a half months of 2020 from the Trump campaign, the RNC and joint committees — far outpacing their Democratic counterparts.

The Harris Victory Fund situation is different: No one appears to be disputing that they signed up for monthly withdrawals. But should those contributions continue even after victory has slipped away?

Harris herself told Democrats to “stay in the fight,” a DNC official said. And while a Harris Victory Fund donation page remains active on ActBlue, the fund itself is now defunct and any contributions go directly to the DNC.

“Those HVF donations are going to help Democrats across the country as we rebuild the party,” the official said, adding that donors can cancel anytime.

The fact that the funds are now being redirected, however, raises another ethical quandary: Is that fair to donors who contributed to an entity with Harris’ name on it? The soon-to-be-ex-VP won’t have any access to the money as she evaluates her political future and whether to run for president again, governor of California or stay out of politics.

To many political pros, that is one of many reasons why it should be a best practice to cease drawing on donor bank accounts after Election Day.

A senior digital staffer on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign said all of their recurring donations ended within a few days after his loss. That person said the Harris fund’s decision to continue tapping small-dollar donors was “super shady” and tantamount to “grifting.”

“These people didn’t sign up to be paying bills in January,” the Republican said.

Mike Nellis, head of the Democratic online fundraising firm Authentic, said when his clients’ campaigns end in defeat, “there’s an expectation that they’re going to shut down the recurring donations because there’s no need.”

But he said he was OK with the DNC continuing to pull donations from Harris donors.

“If you’re rolling the committee into something that’s gonna continue to have an impact such as the DNC or another political campaign, I’m more than comfortable continuing the recurring donations so long as it’s transparent to the donor and compliant with ActBlue and the FEC,” he said.

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Top Illinois Democrat readies a Senate bid — and tells people she has major backing

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Ambitious Illinois Democrats are dreaming about Sen. Dick Durbin’s exit in 2026. The latest contender: the state’s lieutenant governor.

Juliana Stratton, who first took office in 2019, is quietly positioning herself for a Senate bid if Durbin bows out, calling key Democratic figures to ask for support, according to three people with knowledge of her plans, one of whom spoke with her directly and the other two who spoke with members of her team.

And she and her staff have said that she’s already secured the support of Gov. JB Pritzker, the three people said. They were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations and avoid political retribution. She and her team have made clear she expects Pritzker to be heavily involved financially, those people said.

“Juliana continues to keep an open mind about future opportunities, and if she does decide to pursue higher office, she’d be proud to earn the governor’s support while working to build a broad grassroots coalition,” said a spokesperson for the lieutenant governor, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Pritzker, a high-profile governor and potential 2028 hopeful, is already a prolific Democratic donor and party operator, and his vast personal wealth would be a significant boost to any candidate. His money and endorsement could transform the brewing shadow primary that includes several members of the state’s congressional delegation.

His team declined to discuss an endorsement or financial backing in any potential primary. “We’re not going to engage with hypotheticals for a seat that’s not even open,” said a person close to the governor’s political operation granted anonymity to speak candidly.

The governor hand-picked Stratton, then a state representative, to be his running mate in 2017 and he was a guest of honor last month at a fundraising event for her newly formed federal PAC.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton speaks to reporters as Gov. JB Pritzker, to her left, looks on with other state lawmakers in Chicago on Feb. 10, 2025.

Pritzker, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel empire, could support that PAC as well as donate millions to any other super PACs supporting her campaign. That kind of financial support could make Stratton the front-runner in a primary that would essentially guarantee a spot in the Senate in the heavily blue state.

And if a Pritzker-backed candidate wins the race, it could help position him even more firmly as a major Democratic powerbroker, one whose influence could extend beyond Illinois political circles as 2028 approaches.

Durbin has served in the Senate since 1997 and while many Democrats expect the 80-year-old will retire, those close to him say he hasn’t yet decided.

In a brief interview Wednesday, Durbin acknowledged the lieutenant governor was among the Democrats who are preparing for his possible retirement: “She said if I run she’s not going to.”

Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi has been padding his campaign account for years for a possible Senate run. He had amassed $17.1 million by the end of 2024. His fellow Democratic Reps. Lauren Underwood, who flipped a GOP-held district in 2018, and Robin Kelly, the former chair of the Illinois Democratic Party, are also eyeing the seat.

And Illinois Democrats have made a parlor game of wondering what’s next for Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor who just returned from an ambassador stint in Japan. For now, he’s a commentator on BLN.

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‘Be careful about this’: Warnings abound as GOP considers writing off tax cuts

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‘Be careful about this’: Warnings abound as GOP considers writing off tax cuts

Republicans will discuss the accounting maneuver with President Donald Trump on Thursday…
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How many GOP senators ‘support DOGE’? Rand Paul pushes to vote on it.

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Sen. Rand Paul wants to force the Senate to vote on codifying President Donald Trump’s cuts to foreign aid, a potential hitch for Republican leaders working to pass a bill to prevent a government shutdown Friday night. Paul wants the Senate to vote on an amendment that would cut foreign aid grant funding by 83 percent…
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