Stacey Abrams Campaign’s Lavish Spending Detailed, Including ‘Swag Truck’ and TikTok ‘Hype House’

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The lavish spending of the latest failed Stacey Abrams campaign was detailed in a new report after the Democrat’s campaign manager told Axios the campaign was in debt by $1 million despite bringing in more than $100 million.

The Democrat’s Georgia gubernatorial run was ultimately unsuccessful, and now staffers are highlighting some of the alleged spending of the campaign that may not have been all that beneficial.

Staffers told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week that expenses like a TikTok “hype house” and a “swag truck” meant to give away campaign merchandise were underutilized.

From the AJC:

Several staffers said the campaign rented a home near Piedmont Park to be a “hype house” for TikTok videos that wound up largely neglected. Some aides commandeered the vacant five-bedroom craftsman-style house, now available to rent at $12,500 a month, as a makeshift office.

A pop-up shop and “swag truck” were assigned to dispense merchandise, such as T-shirts and hoodies, to win over young voters. But staffers grumbled that there was no apparent strategy behind the giveaways, which they said seemed careless and costly.

The Abrams campaign appeared to run into financial issues in the final leg of her race against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R). The campaign cut back on ad buys in the days before the election and ended a health assessment program for employees at the same time.

Abrams staffers previously told Axios that many stopped receiving pay only one week after the election, leaving them in concerning financial situations.

“People have told me they have no idea how they’re going to pay their rent in January,” a former staff member told the outlet. “It was more than unfortunate. It was messed up.”

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