The Harris-Walz campaign directed approximately $500,000 to Rev. Al Sharpton’s nonprofit organization, the National Action Network, just before the vice president participated in a friendly interview with the civil rights figure.

Campaign finance records from the Federal Election Commission show that Vice President Kamala Harris’ team made two separate contributions of $250,000 to Sharpton’s organization on Sept. 5 and Oct. 1.

These donations were part of a broader spending strategy, totaling $5.4 million, aimed at building support within Black and Latino activist circles.

The current campaign finance records reflect spending through mid-October, leaving Harris’ financial activity from the latter part of the 2024 campaign cycle yet undisclosed.

On Oct. 20, Vice President Harris, 60, sat down with Sharpton, 70, for an interview on MSNBC. The timing came close to three weeks after her campaign’s donations to the National Action Network.

During the interview, Sharpton praised Harris, comparing her to Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, who also ran for president in 1972.

Sharpton brought up criticisms that Harris was seen as “too progressive.” Harris has enjoyed a longstanding friendship with Sharpton, dating back many years.

In early October, Sharpton showcased a video message from Harris, who sent him birthday wishes and praised him as an “extraordinary leader” and “a voice of truth.”

Sharpton has often been a controversial figure for his inflammatory remarks on racial issues. In the early 1990s, he made statements referring to Jews as “the diamond merchants” and criticized “white interlopers.”

The Harris campaign has been focused on limiting losses within minority demographics, especially men. According to an Edison Research exit poll, around 21% of Black men voted for President-elect Donald Trump, alongside 54% of Latino men.

Polling data indicated that Harris was losing support among these critical voter groups as the Nov. 5 election approached.

The Harris-Walz campaign has faced questions about its campaign spending practices, especially as Harris heavily outspent Trump and lost in all seven battleground states.

As of Oct. 16, Federal Election Commission data showed that the Harris-Walz campaign had raised roughly $1 billion and spent around $880 million. Later reports revealed that her campaign ended the Nov. 5 election approximately $20 million in debt.

With outside spending included, Harris had amassed more than $1.6 billion in support by mid-October, according to OpenSecrets. In comparison, the Trump campaign had raised about $382 million, with a combined total of $1 billion in funding.

Harris’ campaign coffers grew so large that her team eventually stopped publicizing the numbers, likely out of concern that it could deter potential donors or create overconfidence among her supporters.

Following her election loss, reports by the Washington Examiner disclosed that Harris’ campaign allocated $1 million to one of Oprah Winfrey’s production companies and spent six figures constructing a set for her appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.

Winfrey, 70, has denied personally profiting from the payment made to Harpo Productions, her company.

Beyond the contributions to Sharpton’s National Action Network, the Harris campaign directed $2 million to the National Urban League, $150,000 to the Black Economic Alliance, and $120,000 to Casa in Action, as well as additional funds to various other minority advocacy organizations.

{Matzav.com}