Kamala Harris is reportedly keeping the door open for a 2028 presidential run, but her own party can’t even pretend to be excited about it. Democratic senators across the board are dodging the question of whether they’d back her, and one of them basically described the coming primary as a fire sale at a circus.
“I think we’re going to have a very, very, very messy and very big primary,” Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital. “It’s going to be every Tom, Dick and Harry. And that’s probably where it should be.” Three “verys.” That’s not a political forecast, that’s a cry for help.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who backed Harris before, is already moving on. “I’ve made no decisions about who I would support,” he said, which in politician-speak means he’s absolutely not backing her. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said there are “a lot of people who are going to run” and suggested everyone wait until after the midterms to sort it out. Helpful, Chris. Thanks for that.
Harris herself was back on the campaign trail last week alongside Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. When asked in Detroit whether she’d run in 2028, she said she hadn’t decided, and warned that “’28 won’t matter” without Democratic success in 2026. So even her own pitch for relevance depends on winning first. Bold strategy. Kamala Harris 2028 primary dodge
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland tried to thread the needle between loyalty and reality. “I love Kamala Harris. I have a very personal friendship and relationship. She’s amazing,” Alsobrooks said, before immediately pivoting to talk about 2026 instead. That’s the political equivalent of saying “bless her heart.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the self-described democratic socialist from New York, is already pulling ahead in early polling. A July University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll found AOC leading the prospective 2028 Democratic primary field in New Hampshire with 22% support among likely Democratic primary voters. Harris? She clocked in at 5%. Neither has officially announced a run, but the numbers don’t lie, and apparently neither do Democrats when they’re trying not to get stuck backing a losing horse twice.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is also lurking around the 2028 conversation, though he’s said he won’t run if Harris gets in. He’s already been roasted online for a suspiciously staged fly-fishing interview with a CNN anchor where he dropped hints about his ambitions. Very natural stuff from a man who clearly has no idea what a fishing rod is for.
So to recap: Harris might run, AOC is beating her in polls, Newsom is pretending to fish, and sitting Democratic senators are using phrases like “every Tom, Dick and Harry” to describe their own party’s future. The Democrats’ 2028 primary is shaping up to be must-watch television, and not in a good way for them.
