Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign raised about $1 billion to lose to President-elect Donald Trump and is still currently about $20 million in debt. It appears this is what has prompted her campaign to do a little grifting to pay off the debts.

The Harris/Walz campaign is continuing to raise money ostensibly for a recount after getting shellacked on Election Day. Yet, the deadline for triggering a recount has already passed, which raises questions about why the campaign is still begging for money from donors.

Several prominent Democrats have called for a recount despite the fact that there is no chance that it could reverse the outcome of the election, according to The Daily Signal.

Some on the Left have clamored for a recount in the Harris-Trump contest.

The liberal organization Free Speech for People and at least one national liberal talk host, Thom Hartman, pushed for a recount. So have Democrats on social media, as a last gasp of hope of preventing Trump from beginning a second term Jan. 20.

Harris, who became the nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, lost both the popular vote and electoral vote to Trump. He defeated her in all seven swing states. The vice president conceded the race Nov. 6.

The Harris Victory Fund reportedly is a joint fundraising committee authorized by the Harris campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and state Democratic parties.

“The first $41,300/$15,000 from a person/multicandidate committee (“PAC”) will be allocated to the DNC,” the Harris Victory Fund says. It then adds: “The next $3,300/$5,000 from a person/PAC will be allocated to Harris for President’s Recount Account.”

Last week, a group of cybersecurity experts and someone from Free Speech for People asked Harris to seek a recount, alleging a data breach in voting systems. Their letter specifically asked the vice president to seek a recount in the most closely contested states—Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The Federal Election Commission guidelines allow a campaign to raise funds for recounts even if they do not intend to file one, oddly enough. “The FEC determined that it wouldn’t violate the Federal Election Campaign Act if Nelson’s campaign donated excess money from a recount fund to a charity or a national party committee,” The Daily Signal noted.

“The commission concluded that the proposed disposal of surplus recount funds is consistent with the act since neither the charitable donation nor the donation to the national party’s recount account would be made to influence a federal election,” the FEC advisory opinion said. “Therefore, the use would not constitute a contribution or expenditure under the act or regulations.”

In other areas, the Harris campaign says it is trying to raise funds for future political battles rather than recounts, The Associated Press reported.

The scramble now underscores the expense involved in a losing effort and the immediate challenges facing Democrats as they try to maintain a baseline political operation to counter the Trump administration and prepare for the 2026 midterm elections. It also calls into question how Democrats used their resources, including hosting events with musicians and other celebrities as well as running ads in a variety of nontraditional spaces such as Las Vegas’ domed Sphere.

Most of the small-dollar donations are being sent to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) unless otherwise specified by the donor. “Despite the language in the recent appeals, most rank-and-file donors’ contributions would be routed to the national party, unless a donor took the time to contact DNC directly and have the money go directly to Harris or a state party,” according to The Associated Press.

The lack of cash has caused some internal problems in the campaign, especially after it decided to stop paying many members of senior staff despite telling them they would be paid until next year.

The Democrats are not faring so well as of late. Politically, they have been destroyed at the federal level. But now, it appears they might also have some cash flow problems, which could pose a serious challenge if they wish to recoup at least some of their electoral losses during the 2026 midterm elections.