Harris ‘thinking about’ 2028 presidential bid
“Run again!” Former US vice president Kamala Harris, who filled the Chamber after her chants, told African-American activists that she was actively considering another presidential candidacy.
“Maybe. I’m thinking about it,” Harris said after directly asking Rev Al Sharpton if he would run for president in 2028.
Harris’ comments came at the annual meeting of the National Action Network, where more than a half-dozen potential candidates emerged this week.
The next Democratic presidential primary season won’t begin in earnest until after the midterm elections in November, but this week’s conference saw a group of Democrats jockeying for position in what promises to be a crowded contest.
There is no clear early favorite, at least for now.
But there appeared to be a favorite in Sharpton’s conference.
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024, is the only one among the other 2028 candidates to receive a standing ovation this week, and she won the largest crowd.
Some in the audience shouted “Run again!” He interrupted his speech with slogans.
Sharpton stated that Harris won more votes than even former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in the 2024 campaign, which she lost.
“Whatever he decided to do, he made a point in history,” Sharpton said.
Harris, who served as vice president under President Joe Biden, lost the 2024 presidential nomination to President Donald Trump, who won both the popular vote and the Electoral College.
Harris previously served as a U.S. senator and California attorney general.
Harris made an unsuccessful run to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 2020.
Harris has floated the possibility of another presidential bid in the 15 months since she left office.
He also recently started a political action committee and began traveling throughout the United States, especially the South, to support Democrats.
Still, some in the party have shifted their focus to the next generation of Democratic leaders, given Harris’ struggles in the last presidential contest in which she was defeated by Trump.
This week’s congressional lineup included Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois governor JB Pritzker, Maryland governor Wes Moore, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, California representative Ro Khanna and Arizona senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego.
Speaking shortly after Harris left the stage, Buttigieg received a soft applause from the half-empty room.
Some applauded when she said she supported federal workers and minority businesses, but many attendees streamed out of the packed auditorium after Harris’ speech to take a selfie with the former vice president.
Buttigieg, like many other 2028 candidates this week, laughed when asked if he would seek the presidency again.
Harris spoke more clearly.
“I’m thinking about it,” he repeated three times when Sharpton asked him about the 2028 White House race.
“I served four years, a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States. I spent countless hours in my West Wing office, steps away from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office and the situation room. I know what the job is and I know what it takes,” Harris said.
He continued: “I think about this issue in the context of who, where and how can do the best job for the American people. I think about it that way. I’ll keep you informed.”
via Reuters
