Kamala Harris unlikely to run for US presidency in 2028, say former advisers

Former advisers and aides to former US Vice President Kamala Harris have dismissed the likelihood of her running in the 2028 presidential election, despite her public appearances suggesting she could be a potential candidate, according to Axios.

Axios reported that Harris’s recent activities are aimed at maintaining her political influence rather than launching a new campaign.

Harris currently leads early polls among Democratic contenders, but her final decision remains undecided. Many of her former aides and supporters believe she will not enter the race, despite her support for midterm candidates, appearances on podcasts, and the release of a new book.

Axios surveyed eight of Harris’s former aides and advisers: only one predicted she would run, two said the chances were even, and five ruled out her candidacy.

Some believe Harris is doing the minimum required to remain part of the conversation about the 2028 election, and that if she were serious about running, she would ramp up her political activity and expand her team.

One former aide said Harris is doing “the bare minimum” to stay in discussions about 2028. Her former staffers believe that if she were strongly committed to running, she would have hired more people, traveled more, and engaged more deeply in policy debates.

Other former advisers say Harris is “acting rationally,” noting she is well aware of the challenges she would face if she decided to run again. A second former aide said, “She’s realistic and politically savvy, and knows her campaign could stumble due to what happened in the 2024 election.”

Democratic donor Reid Hoffman said Harris would face an “extremely difficult path” in 2028.

Other signs of Harris’s lack of enthusiasm for a run include her stepping back from managing her social media accounts and purchasing a new home in Malibu. Her chief aide, Kirsten Allen, also recently left her team.

One former aide said the odds of Harris running or not are about equal, noting her decision will be methodical and based on the current situation. Another former staffer estimated her chances at 55%, citing her increased outreach to Democratic officials and activists.

Harris is preparing to support Democratic candidates in swing states this fall, including Abdul El-Sayed, Jon Ossoff, and Aaron Ford. However, several of her former aides doubt her ability to win and would prefer she not enter the race.

David Plouffe, Harris’s chief adviser during the 2024 campaign, said she faces significant obstacles despite starting from a strong position, predicting her support will decline as the race develops.