Don’t be so quick to write off former VP Kamala Harris in ’28
A recent appearance by the onetime Democratic presidential nominee gave me a glimmer of hope and a ray of excitement — emotions I haven’t felt much in a big way since Trump’s inauguration last year.
It was sometime after President Donald Trump called Pope Leo XIV “weak on crime” but before I learned about the president’s since-deleted social media post depicting himself as Jesus that I started asking myself: How long is it until the midterm elections again?
Two hundred and one days, as of Thursday, and 936 days until the next presidential election. Trump himself won’t be running again — right? — but the elections in November and in 2028 can’t get here soon enough.
That’s part of the reason I was closely following reports out of New York City last week about a group of potential 2028 Democratic candidates for president who attended a gathering of Black civil rights leaders.
Sponsored by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, the event was attended by the likes of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker. But the person who, according to all accounts, seemed to most electrify the crowd? Former Vice President Kamala Harris.
When Harris was asked by Sharpton about her 2028 plans, she was predictably noncommittal. “I might,” she said to wild applause and chants of “Run again!”
Taking it in from afar, I felt a glimmer of hope and a ray of excitement — emotions I haven’t felt much in a big way since Trump’s inauguration last year. The country has lurched from one controversy to the next under his chaotic leadership — the most dangerous being his “little excursion” into an unprovoked war with Iran, and the most ridiculous being his attempt to square off against Pope Leo, the first American to head the Catholic Church.
For me, seeing Harris interviewed in one of her signature pantsuits brought back memories of a happier time, back when masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents weren’t running amok, and our allies abroad weren’t actively strategizing to keep our wayward president in check.
Gas prices were lower. Same with inflation. We weren’t worrying whether the president would make good on an evil threat to obliterate an entire civilization back then. Most of us weren’t sure exactly where the Strait of Hormuz was. Nor did we expect that U.S. naval ships would be sent to blockade it, or wonder whether Cuba might be invaded next.
Each and every day, Harris’ dire warnings from two years ago about Trump being unhinged and unstable appear more and more spot on.
Gender and race certainly played a role in her defeat — before the election, one poll showed, 40% of the nation believed gender would hurt her chances. I would like to think Americans have learned a hard lesson about allowing misogyny and racism to cloud their better judgment when it comes to picking a leader. I’m not sure everyone has — but I haven’t given up hope.
If ever there were a time in America when an eminently qualified female candidate like Harris could wage a successful presidential campaign against a man, it could be in 2028. The vast majority of Americans disapprove of how Trump is doing his job and recognize the need for something different from what’s being offered by the Republican Party. It’ll be difficult to find a candidate with more experience than Harris, who has worked in all three branches of government.
“I spent countless hours in my West Wing office, footsteps away from the Oval Office,” Harris reminded attendees at the National Action Network gathering last week. “I spent countless hours in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room. I know what the job is. And I know what it requires.”
Those who think a woman can’t pull off a presidential win conveniently ignore the fact that Harris overperformed in the race — campaigning for just 107 days and still only losing to Trump by around three million votes. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton actually won the popular vote when she ran against Trump in 2016, but lost the Electoral College with 227 votes to his 304.
Yes, Harris made some missteps in her campaign. But it also didn’t help that she had little time to differentiate herself from her predecessor, or articulate her own ideas for moving the country forward.
Should Harris decide to formally announce her intentions to run again, this would mark her third presidential race. And who knows? It might even prove to be the charm.
Until then — although Pope Leo is doing plenty of praying for the future of America — I, too, will ask a higher power to give us all strength to persevere until the next elections.
