What’s next for Kamala Harris?
She is reportedly keeping her options open, deliberating whether to mount a second presidential run in 2028 or a bid for governor in her home state of California, according to Politico.
Yet her loss to Trump has left members of the Democratic Party mixed about her return.
“I can’t conceivably imagine the party turning to her a second time,” one Democratic strategist told Politico, granted anonymity so they could discuss the matter.
“She proved a lot of skeptics wrong as a political athlete,” an anonymous Harris ally said to Politico. “And her standing with the public is as good as any Democrats with the name I.D. that she has.”
Donna Brazile, the former Democratic National Committee chair, told Politico that Harris need to “marinate” after the loss. Brazile also noted that former Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore took months to decide what he would do after losing to Republican George W. Bush in the 2000 election.
Brazile added that Harris has earned “a lot of political capital. You don’t squander that by making snap decisions.”
In an Echelon Insights poll conducted between Nov. 14 and 18, 41% of Democratic likely voters said they would vote for Harris if the 2028 presidential primary were held today. Obviously, that poll is very premature, and much will surely change in four years’ time.
Still, a barrage of fundraising emails
Meanwhile, Harris’s team is keeping her political presence alive by continuing to ping supporters for political donations in regular emails.
“With Trump nominating MAGA loyalists left and right, there is nothing more important than making sure we can fight back and hold him accountable,” an email from the Harris Fight Fund said on Monday. The Harris Fight Fund’s donations are being fed into the Democratic National Committee, according to officials who spoke with The New York Times.
“That’s why we need you to step up today. Yes, today. Before midnight,” the email continued, including a donation button.
In a Nov. 14 email with the subject line “Please give us a chance to explain,” the campaign wrote. “[N]ow our job goes to electing these final members of Congress who will keep Trump in check these next four years. That will take resources. There will be legal challenges and recounts.”
Two campaign officials told NBC News on Nov. 14 that donated funds would be used to help cure ballots and fund recounts. However, one official said the money may also be used to pay off campaign debts.
For now, Harris’ future is up in the air as the broader Democratic Party figures out how it will evolve and win over the voters it lost in November.
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