Kamala Harris donated $500K to Al Sharpton's nonprofit ahead of her flattering interview with MSNBC host
WASHINGTON, DC: Kamala Harris’ campaign funneled a whopping $500,000 to Reverend Al Sharpton’s nonprofit — the National Action Network — right before her friendly sit-down interview with the civil rights activist on MSNBC.
The donations were made just ahead of what many are calling Sharpton's “softball” interview with the vice president.
Kamala Harris team's two hefty donations to Al Sharpton's nonprofit
According to Federal Election Commission records, Kamala Harris' team made two hefty donations of $250,000 each to Sharpton’s organization. These contributions were made on September 5 and October 1 — all within a few weeks of Harris’ televised chat with Sharpton.
This isn’t the only cash Harris’ campaign was dishing out. The donations to Sharpton’s group were apparently part of a much larger strategy. The campaign reportedly paid out a total of $5.4 million to various Black and Latino activist organizations.
The aim reportedly was to drum up support among minority voters as the Harris-Walz ticket tried to shore up its base.
The Washington Free Beacon was the first to uncover the details of these payments. The available campaign finance records only go up to mid-October, so it is unclear what other spending may have taken place in the final stretch of the election cycle.
On October 20, Harris sat down with Sharpton for an interview on his PoliticsNation show on MSNBC, where the host started showering Harris with compliments. At one point, he even compared her to Shirley Chisholm, the trailblazing congresswoman who was the first Black woman to run for president in 1972.
The vibe was friendly. When Sharpton brought up complaints that Harris was "too progressive," she barely addressed it and quickly moved on instead. The outgoing VP and the reverend go way back, so their rapport isn’t exactly surprising.
Close ties with Democratic Party amid Kamala Harris’ campaign struggles
In early October, Sharpton played a clip of Kamala Harris wishing him a happy birthday, where she called him an “extraordinary leader” and “a voice of truth.” While it was a sweet moment, let’s not forget that Sharpton’s history isn’t without controversy.
Al Sharpton has been a key figure in civil rights activism for decades, but he’s also been no stranger to making waves with his remarks. Back in the early ‘90s, Sharpton sparked outrage with comments about Jews, referring to them as “diamond merchants” and railing against “White interlopers.”
Despite his divisive statements, Sharpton has consistently aligned himself with the Democratic Party throughout his career. He used to be close with Donald Trump back in the day when they were both prominent figures in New York City. But things took a turn when Trump ran for president as a Republican.
In a memorable moment from July 2019, Trump fired back at Sharpton on social media. He posted on X (then Twitter), “I have known Al for 25 years. Went to fights with him & Don King, always got along well. He loved Trump! He would ask me for favors often. Al is a con man, a troublemaker, always looking for a score. Just doing his thing.”
I have known Al for 25 years. Went to fights with him & Don King, always got along well. He “loved Trump!” He would ask me for favors often. Al is a con man, a troublemaker, always looking for a score. Just doing his thing. Must have intimidated Comcast/NBC. Hates Whites & Cops! https://t.co/ZwPZa0FWfN
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2019
It’s no secret that Harris’ team faced an uphill battle trying to win over minority voters, particularly men.
According to exit poll data from Edison Research, about 21% of Black men and 54% of Latino men cast their votes for President-elect Donald Trump. Heading into the November 5 election, Harris’ polling numbers with these key demographics were slipping, and it showed in the final results.
People were also curious about how Harris’ campaign managed its funds, especially considering she majorly outspent Trump but still lost all seven battleground states.
A billion-dollar war chest (that wasn't enough)
As of October 16, the Harris-Walz campaign had raised nearly $1 billion and spent about $880 million, per FEC records. However, more recent reports suggest the campaign ended the election season about $20 million in debt.
For comparison, when you factor in outside spending, Harris had a staggering $1.6 billion backing her as of mid-October. Trump’s campaign, on the other hand, raised around $382 million, with total combined cash at about $1 billion, per OpenSecrets.
Things got so intense that Harris’ team actually stopped bragging about their fundraising numbers, worried it might discourage more donors or give supporters a false sense of confidence, as per the outlet.
Since her defeat, more details have come out about how Harris spent her campaign cash. For one, the Washington Examiner reported that her team shelled out $1 million to one of Oprah Winfrey’s production companies. There were also six-figure expenses to set up a set for her interview on the popular 'Call Her Daddy' podcast.
However, Oprah, 70, has denied receiving any money personally from the payment to Harpo Productions.
The Harris campaign also handed out $2 million to the National Urban League, $150,000 to the Black Economic Alliance, and $120,000 to Casa in Action, among other minority advocacy groups, the New York Post reported.
