Kamala Harris is being discussed as a potential 2028 candidate, but many Democrats, donors, and former aides are quietly hoping she stays out of the race.
Kamala Harris appears to be poking at the idea of another White House bid, and that alone keeps the chatter alive. From a Republican perspective, it’s easy to point out that the party already has stronger options and that Democrats may be better off moving on. This isn’t a plea; it’s an observation based on the fallout of her past campaigns and the party’s current headaches.
Her previous attempts were famously rough. One effort fizzled before Iowa even mattered, and the second was a frantic 100-plus day ride that burned through more than $1 billion and still failed to move the needle. She lost every swing state she needed and ultimately couldn’t break through a GOP wall led by the former president.
That track record fuels a simple argument: experience on its own didn’t translate into success for her. Voters watched a candidate who often avoided hard choices and seemed ill-suited to the relentless demands of a national campaign. For Republicans watching, it underscored a political reality Democrats now have to wrestle with.
Reports say she’s been making outreach on foreign policy, including contacting Zohran Mamdani about Israel, which has drawn attention inside Democratic circles. Those conversations highlight how sensitive foreign-policy moves would have to be for any potential 2028 run. For many donors and strategists, the bigger question is whether Harris can inspire confidence after the last cycle.
ABC News spoke with more than 15 former donors, fundraisers, campaign aides, Biden White House staffers and current advisers about Harris running again, some of whom asked not to be named to be able to speak freely.
A source familiar with Harris’ thinking told ABC News that she’s considering all options, but hasn’t begun explicitly deliberating on a run with her team.
[…]
An influential California donor and early Harris supporter told ABC News, “I have not heard one person suggest it would be good for anything if she ran. … We are looking for someone who is fresh and not imposed on the voters. We understood we were stuck with the situation last time, but this is not the case going forward.”
[…]
“I think the electorate is going to be extremely hungry for a new, fresh, younger voice with a different perspective, and who can effectively articulate an agenda for the future. … I don’t believe that Kamala is the right person for this moment by any stretch of your imagination,” said a fundraiser who raised money for Harris’ 2024 run.
A longtime Democratic donor who raised money for Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign told ABC News, “I really have not heard anybody say that they want her to run. In fact, it’s the opposite.”
“I really think that anyone who became the nominee after Biden dropped out would have raised a ton of money. … I don’t know a lot of at least big donors who were like, ‘I feel really great about putting this money in for her.’ It was just, she was the top of the ticket,” the donor added.
One Harris 2020 fundraiser who was involved with her 2024 run said, “For somebody who wants to have a future political career, she has done nothing … to maintain any relationships with anybody that I’m aware of … that were her big donors. We’re now two years into it, and I don’t know anybody’s even got a thank you note.”
Those donor conversations aren’t hypothetical. Inside the party’s fundraising circles, the view is blunt: her political stock has been damaged and many big backers are no longer enthusiastic. Political money follows momentum and relationships, and both look thin for Harris right now. That reality matters more than pundit chatter when a serious campaign is being weighed.
Some former Biden aides have been just as frank about her odds, saying the electorate won’t hand her another chance. The exchange on cable where Michael LaRosa said voters “are not going to give Kamala Harris a third at-bat” captures the blunt assessment from people close to the administration. Internal skepticism like that tends to spread fast among power players and gatekeepers.
A former Biden administration aide said Tuesday he doesn’t believe former Vice President Kamala Harris would have much of a chance at winning the White House in 2028 if she runs again.
During an interview on Fox News’s “America Reports,” Michael LaRosa, former first lady Jill Biden’s press secretary, told host Gillian Turner that voters “are not going to give Kamala Harris a third at-bat.”
The conversation started because of a New York Magazine article, which identified Harris as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
Minyon Moore, a Democratic strategist, said to the outlet, “She’s been listening to the American people and really trying to figure out what’s impacting them and how she can be of service to them.”
LaRosa pushed back on this directly, arguing that Harris has decades of political experience and needs to instead “start leading.” He added that voters want a new presidential candidate.
Beyond donor fatigue and internal doubts, there are other political headaches for Democrats. Harris reportedly negotiated hard for an endorsement from the former president when that moment mattered, a detail many voters and operatives still note with raised eyebrows. Meanwhile the party’s standing with key groups like men and independents has slipped, and factions on the left keep pushing a socialist strain that worries mainstream backers.
For Republicans, the sight of Democratic leaders hemming and hawing over whether Harris should run is a sign of weakness to exploit. The party’s internal divisions, financial shortfalls, and shifting electorate give Republicans a clear narrative to drive home. If Democrats want to avoid another bruising nomination fight, they will have some uncomfortable conversations about who can actually win in 2028.
