Former Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has raised the possibility that she may return to campaign for the 2028 presidential election after losing to Donald Trump in the 2024 race.
Former Vice President Harris faced that possibility on Friday at the National Action Network’s annual conference on stage with civil rights leader Al Sharpton.
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Harris’s interviewer at the event, Sharpton, asked him the pointed question: “So are you going to run again in ’28?”
His appearance at the Civil Rights Convention was greeted with the slogan “Run Again!” This was done with raucous slogans. But Harris avoided pursuing a new run for public office, although she hinted at a 2028 bid.
“Listen, I can, I can. I’m thinking about it,” she said in response to Sharpton’s question.
Harris drew on her past experience to serve as President Joe Biden’s second in command at the White House from 2021 to 2025.
He said, “Look, I served for four years a short distance from the presidency of the United States. I spent countless hours in my West Wing office, just steps from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room.” “I know what the job is, and I know what it requires.”
Harris was the first Black and South Asian woman in US history to receive a major party nomination when she took over for Biden as the Democratic frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race.
However, his nomination took place under unusual circumstances.
During the first major presidential debate that year, 81-year-old incumbent Biden struggled to answer questions, leading to Democratic pressure for him to drop out of the race.
Biden ultimately stepped down at the end of July 2024 and endorsed Vice President Harris as his successor.
Despite not running in the primaries as a presidential contender, he received the Democratic Party nomination in the subsequent roll-call vote. By that time, there were less than four months to go until the general elections.
Trump, who was seeking a second, non-consecutive term, ultimately won the race by a landslide. She received 312 Electoral College votes compared to Harris’s 226.
The popular vote – which is not counted in US elections – showed a narrow race. Trump got 49.8 percent of the total votes, while Harris got 48.3 percent.
Introducing Harris at Friday’s event, Sharpton referenced that history, describing her as an underdog who faced difficult circumstances throughout her career.
He also issued a veiled warning about the current Trump administration, suggesting that voters should have supported Harris in greater numbers in 2024.
Sharpton said, “She was so used to being suspicious of people that she took it for granted. We were angry. She was calming us down and now she had to calm me down because we were in trouble.” “We should have listened and come forward in the numbers we should have.”
Sharpton also highlighted Harris’ vote total in 2024, which was more than 75 million.
“She’s the first black woman to get the nomination of a major party, and she’s the second-highest vote-getter,” Sharpton told the crowd in his introduction. “He got more votes than Barack Obama than Bill Clinton.”
Harris was one of the potential 2028 contenders attending the National Action Network conference.
Democrats Illinois Governor J.D. Pritzker, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Biden’s former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, all potential future presidential candidates, were in attendance.
Other members of Congress like progressive Representative Ayanna Pressley were also there, as well as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
While there is no presidential vote this year, Trump’s Republican Party is trying to maintain control of Congress in November’s closely contested midterm elections, while Democrats are trying to flip one or both of its chambers.
The midterm races are expected to be an informal referendum on Trump’s second presidency, and Harris took aim at his track record so far in her remarks Thursday.
He repeatedly called the US and Israel’s war against Iran a “war of choice” and accused Trump of alienating longtime US allies with his aggressive stance.
“Under Donald Trump, the United States has become more unreliable as a partner for our friends, and the United States is rapidly losing influence,” he said.
“My concern is not just about that fact, but that it will take much longer than the end of this man’s term and some serious work to get back what we had.”
Although she openly contemplated a possible 2028 run for the presidency, Harris ultimately left the topic on a vague note.
“I’m thinking about it in the context of then: Who, where and how can the best work be done for the American people?” He said. “That’s how I think about it. I’ll keep you posted.”
