Former Aides Express Doubt About Kamala Harris's 2028 Presidential Bid

<p>Several individuals who previously worked closely with former Vice President Kamala Harris have expressed skepticism regarding her potential candidacy for the 2028 presidential election. Despite early polling indicating that Harris leads the Democratic field for the nomination, many of her former aides, advisers, surrogates, and donors do not anticipate her running again, according to a report by Axios.</p><p>The report included insights from eight former aides and advisers, several of whom held senior positions. Only one indicated that Harris would likely run, while two viewed her decision as uncertain, and five believed she was unlikely to enter the race.</p><p>Factors cited by the former aides include Harris maintaining a low profile and performing minimal activities to remain relevant in the presidential race. Traditionally, potential presidential candidates use the pre-primary period to build support in early-voting states and campaign for their party's candidates in midterm elections. Since her previous election loss, Harris has engaged in a book tour and is expected to campaign for Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's U.S. Senate race.</p><p>One former aide noted that Harris is aware of the political challenges she would face in another campaign. The 2028 Democratic primary is anticipated to be competitive, and Harris would need to persuade Democratic voters of her electability after losing all seven key battleground states and the national popular vote to President Donald Trump.</p><p>Concerns regarding fundraising were also mentioned, as some major Democratic donors are hesitant to support another Harris campaign, with others potentially backing different candidates such as Maryland Governor Wes Moore and California Governor Gavin Newsom. At a recent Politico panel, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman expressed doubts about Harris's prospects, stating, "I think it would be a very challenging path for her, and it’s going to be a very noisy field."</p><p>Hoffman's assessment followed Newsom's statement that he would defer to Harris, asserting he would not run if she chose to enter the race. Newsom remarked, "I wouldn’t run if she ran," during an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper.</p><p>Tapper later expressed surprise at Newsom's response, to which Newsom added, "Why would I? I won’t waste everyone’s time." He argued that a primary contest between the two California Democrats would benefit Republicans and force their shared political allies to take sides, describing it as a scenario that would lead to "mutually assured destruction" and serve no greater purpose.</p>