Kamala Harris’s campaign spent $24,000 on food delivery services and ice cream it has been revealed – all whilst facing $20million in campaign debt.
The controversial expenditure has emerged from Federal Election Commission filings, revealing extensive use of services like Uber Eats and DoorDash, as well as significant spending at ice cream parlours.
The spending decisions have sparked criticism from within Democratic ranks.
California Congressman Ro Khanna told The Washington Post: “We didn’t emphasise the economy. Instead, we spent a billion dollars having concerts all over America. I mean, it was ridiculous.”
The revelations come amid broader concerns about the Democrats’ campaign strategy and its $1.6billion total expenditure.
Federal Election Commission filings show the campaign spent $14,974.31 on food deliveries through Uber Eats and DoorDash from July onwards.
Kamala Harris has faced criticism for her campaign spending
REUTERS
A further $8,929.12 was spent on ice cream purchases from various establishments, including Sweet Lucy’s Ice Cream and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, after Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
The campaign’s food-related expenditure extended to a $6,000 site fee paid to Arizona board game cafe Snakes and Lattes for a Tim Walz visit.
The spending decisions have emerged as part of broader scrutiny into the Democrats’ campaign expenditure, which totalled $1.5billion on what ultimately proved to be an unsuccessful election bid.
The revelations about food and entertainment spending have particularly rankled party members amid growing concerns about campaign debt and financial management.
The campaign’s private jet expenditure has also drawn particular scrutiny, with records showing $12million spent on luxury air travel.
In the final days of campaigning alone, between October 1-17, Harris’s team spent $2.2million with Florida-based Private Jet Services Group.
An additional $430,000 was paid to Advanced Aviation Team in Virginia during the same period.
The extensive use of private jets has raised eyebrows given Harris’s stance on climate change, which she has described as “an existential threat”.
Bernie Sanders, the veteran Vermont Senator, delivered scathing criticism of the Democratic Party’s direction following the election defeat.
“The Democratic Party has abandoned working class people and should not be surprised the working class has abandoned them,” he stated.
Sanders questioned whether any lessons would be learned, asking: “Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?”