Karoline Leavitt speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
House GOP candidate Karoline Leavitt told Steve Bannon during an interview on his War Room podcast that her campaign team "has not been paid in several weeks."
"My team has selflessly not been paid in several weeks, because all of our money has been going to get out the vote efforts, so these last dollars that come in will go towards paying our exceptional staff, that has been working so hard," said Leavitt, who is 25 and hoping to become the youngest congresswoman in history by winning New Hampshire's first congressional district.
Polls show a tight race between Leavitt and incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas.
As Newsweek points out, Leavitt's admission sparked criticism on social media.
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"Imagine working for someone (working ... not volunteering) and then they don't pay you the money you are due AND THEN YOU KEEP WORKING FOR THEM?!?! journalist Simon Thompson tweeted.
"Here's another clear difference in parties: Democrats actually believe in paying people for their work," tweeted former Democratic House candidate Julia Pulver. "In all my runs, I ensured ALL my staff & vendors were paid, in full, & on time. I did not expect anyone to work for me for free. I believe in fair pay & lived out my values."
"Someone running for a job that pays 6 figures is proud of the fact that she has forced her low level staffers to work without pay to make the final push toward her election," wrote Twitter user Jamie Lawson.
Leavitt has claimed that the 2020 election was stolen. In 2021, she told Bannon that Donald Trump had "absolutely" won in 2020.