Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly spent over $20 million on election-eve concerts in a last-minute effort to secure swing-state votes, only to lose to Donald Trump. Major performers, including Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, headlined the Monday night events across key states. This spending came despite reports from Politico that the Harris-Walz campaign was already in significant debt, matching the $20 million expense, despite raising billions in campaign funds.
The New York Post cited Harris campaign insiders who revealed that the election-eve concerts heavily impacted the campaign’s budget. To cut costs, a performance by Alanis Morissette was canceled. The seven-concert lineup included Jon Bon Jovi in Detroit, Christina Aguilera in Las Vegas, Katy Perry in Pittsburgh, Lady Gaga in Philadelphia, and 2 Chainz on November 2.
Reportedly, the idea for the concerts came from Stephanie Cutter, an Obama campaign veteran. Although the artists performed for free, other expenses like advance teams and production costs required payment. According to sources, the campaign aimed to “spend to zero,” but overshot, leading to frustration among vendors still awaiting reimbursements.
Ultimately, Harris’s efforts proved unsuccessful, as Trump claimed victory in all key swing states.