Former Vice President Kamala Harris is weighing another White House run in 2028, but a new wave of skepticism from Democratic strategists and donors has prompted a forceful defense from one of her longtime outside advisors. Maria Cardona, a veteran Democratic strategist and member of the Democratic National Committee, pushed back against criticism that Harris has failed to politically reinvent herself since losing the 2024 election, calling the claims «infuriating in its silliness.»
The criticism was highlighted in a new report based on interviews with nearly 20 California-based Democratic donors and strategists, which pointed to growing doubts among some party insiders about whether Harris has done enough to distinguish herself from her unsuccessful campaign two years ago. Doug Herman, a veteran of former President Barack Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns, told the outlet that Harris «totally blew it» and «hasn't gotten into the mix.» Former South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges, whose state leads off the Democratic Party's 2028 presidential nominating calendar, said, «I don't see anything different myself. It seems like more of the same to me.»
Cardona rejected that characterization, pointing to a series of policy proposals Harris has advanced since the end of former President Joe Biden's administration, including expanding the Supreme Court, lowering the voting age to 16, and making Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico states. «How can you state that she hasn't done anything new or groundbreaking or talked about new initiatives or policies and then layout exactly those policies,» Cardona said. «Those are pretty groundbreaking policies!»
Harris, the nation's first Black vice president, has also said Black people should be «transactional voters» rather than automatically supporting Democratic candidates. Cardona argued that Harris faces a no-win dynamic, saying she is «damned if she does and damned if she doesn't,» while insisting Harris «is still the most qualified person to be president of the United States that is mentioned as a possible candidate for 2028.»
Harris has been crisscrossing the country this year, first on a book tour for her best-selling campaign memoir «107 Days» and currently to support fellow Democrats running in the midterm elections. She has teamed up with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and congressional nominees in her home state, though some Democratic nominees running in red states have made headlines by asking the former vice president not to campaign with them.
Cardona said Harris «has been out there nonstop talking to young voters, women voters, black voters, Latino voters,» and has been asked by many candidates to campaign with them. «She has focused her energies on winning the midterm elections,» Cardona said. «Can you imagine the backlash if she was out there focusing on herself and how she can remake the Democratic Party?»
Harris replaced Biden as the Democrats' 2024 presidential nominee after he ended his re-election bid following a debate performance against President Donald Trump. Her truncated three-month campaign ended in defeat, with Trump narrowly sweeping all the key battleground states as he won back the White House.
If she runs a third time for president, Harris would enjoy instant name recognition and plenty of goodwill from within her party. But she would also face a Democratic base trying to move past the 2024 setbacks, and she would likely be part of a crowded and competitive 2028 primary field.
A Democratic consultant, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely, said «voters feel like they haven't heard much from Harris, which means bad memories from her 2024 election loss remain fresh in their minds.» But longtime Democratic strategist Michael Ceraso said consultants «are not voters.» «I just don't trust that the consulting class really has a finger on the electorate,» he said. «To listen to consultants saying Harris has blown it – presidential politics hasn't really even started yet. These consultants are just getting soundbites.»
Ceraso noted that it took Biden three runs to win the White House. «The third time was the charm and everybody said to Biden when he ran the third time, 'why are you running.' Well guess what, he ended up becoming the nominee and the president,» he said. «Why can't Harris look at that template and say 'that can apply to me too.'»