As Legal Insurrection documented earlier this week, reports are swirling that Vice President Kamala Harris has told people close to her that her political story is far from over.
She’s allegedly informed some supporters that she’s “not going quietly into the night” despite a whirlwind abbreviated 2024 presidential campaign that ended in an embarrassing defeat to the Democrats’ Public Enemy Number One – Donald Trump.
“Not going quietly into the night” for Harris could take one or more of many forms. She could be like another twice-failed Democrat presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, and start foundations, do the talk show/speech circuit, write books, and all that.
It potentially could mean bigger things as well, like running for California governor in 2026 or for president again in 2028.
It is the latter possibility that has some Democrat National Committee officials buzzing:
From the story:
For party leaders, it’s a delicate balancing act. Some want to show respect for the outgoing vice president — but also share a sense of skepticism about her future prospects. For others, they have genuine enthusiasm for her candidacy and believe she lost because President Joe Biden simply exited the race too late.“I would be on board 100 percent with whatever she decides to do. I think she is a phenomenal person. I think she was a phenomenal candidate,” said Yvette Lewis, a member of the Democratic National Committee’s executive panel. “We were able to turn things around so quickly, and that’s a testament to her.”[…]
At a confab of DNC members last week, no party officials outright dismissed the idea of another Harris campaign, and some said they were willing to back her if she ran again.
Shasti Conrad, chair of the Washington Democratic Party who was also at the event, said, “I certainly was so proud to support her and would love to do it again.”
Conrad is running for DNC Vice Chair.
Karen Finney, a former spokeswoman for Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential campaign, also expressed support for a 2028 Harris presidential run in a recent CNN segment:
On the other hand, though some Democrat strategists are giving a thumbs down to the idea of a Kamala Harris 2028 presidential candidacy (“Democrats need to build a party that can play everywhere,” one told POLITICO), Harris herself is reportedly going to confer with her family over the Christmas holiday and weigh her options:
Harris is expected to mull her next steps with family over the holidays, people in her inner circle previously told POLITICO. She also wants to conduct her own personal autopsy of the presidential race as she determines what to do next, said a person familiar with her thinking.
Because the gubernatorial race in California will be kicking into high gear in a few months, if we don’t see Harris throw her hat into the ring that would be a strong signal that she’s giving serious consideration to a third presidential run.
If she does put her name into the mix in the governor’s race, however, the likelihood of her choosing to run for president in 2028 would be slim considering how fast she’d have to turn right back around and hit the ground running again.
In any event, it is still pretty early in all of this to be sure, but you can best believe that Republicans are salivating at the possibility of a Harris/Vance match-up, should it come to that, especially after what happened this year with Vance really coming into his own quickly after becoming the GOP vice presidential nominee and Harris floundering down the home stretch when it mattered most.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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