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Marvin Joseph

Democrats can be merciless when it comes to defeated presidential candidates. Unlike Republicans, whose defeated nominees (e.g., Richard M. Nixon, Donald Trump) have occasionally come back to win the presidency, Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale, Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, among others, never mounted a second run, let alone succeeded. That record might not bode well for Vice President <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/kamala-harris/" target="_blank" class="contextual_link">Kamala Harris</a>.

Should Harris want to run again, she would face an impressive field that could include governors (e.g., Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gavin Newsom of California) and former Cabinet officials (e.g., Pete Buttigieg). After defeats of two women, many Democrats are likely to conclude, justifiably or not, that Americans are not ready for a female president. Others will insist the party needs a candidate from the heartland to counter the dig that it is the plaything of coastal elites.

Still, should Harris want to run again, she has several factors working in her favor. Unlike other failed Democratic nominees, she has not spent decades on the national stage, so she has not worn out her welcome. Moreover, she won 74 million votes, more than every other nominee save Joe Biden and Trump.

Her approval rating <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/approval/kamala-harris/" target="_blank">actually increased</a> during the campaign, a rare feat. And even more impressive, she ran roughly 10 points above <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/" target="_blank">the approval rating</a> of the incumbent president. She impressed many (including those who disparaged her 2020 run) with her energy, discipline, charisma and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/17/kamala-harris-fox-baier-interview/" target="_blank">steely performances</a>. Frankly, someone <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/30/harris-campaign-fundraising-democrats-trust-00191919" target="_blank">who raised</a> $1.4 billion is a force to be reckoned with.

But if she wants to keep her options open, as she reportedly has <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/25/kamala-harris-advisers-options-open-00191393">told associates</a> (“I am staying in the fight”), she would be smart to keep in mind several factors.

First, she need not run for governor of California, as some are speculating, to keep herself in the mix. With Newsom term-limited, she would face a large field of Democratic competitors, need to spend the next two years focused on that race and likely be tempted to take positions for a deep-blue state that could complicate another presidential run (just as her positions in 2018 and 2019 vexed her in 2024).

If Harris won the governor’s race, she would either have to turn right around to run for president or wait an additional six or possibly 10 years to make another run. She would also have to do the job of governor — no picnic in a diverse, contentious state with many challenges. (Newsom’s approval rating, <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/poll-californians-arent-happy-government-state-national-leaders/61115610">well below 50 percent</a>, shows how damaging the office can be to one’s standing.)

In short, if she wants to be California’s governor, she should go for it. If not, the job might be a political cul-de-sac from which she never emerges.

Second, Harris made a canny readjustment during her vice presidency and in the brief 2024 race to position herself as a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/08/15/harris-walz-trump-progressive-policies-agenda/">muscular progressive</a>. She leaned into her prosecutorial experience, took a no-nonsense stance on the southern border, expounded foreign policy in the vein of <a href="https://hmjackson.org/about-us/biography/">Henry M. Jackson</a> and expressed affinity for the private sector. She fully embraced more pragmatic solutions (e.g., the Affordable Care Act, historic investment in green energy) over more controversial positions (e.g., Medicare-for-all, banning fracking). She would be wise to stay right where she is ideologically.

If the election proved anything, it is that concerns about personal security, including the border and crime, remain central to voters of all political stripes. At the same time, the election demonstrated no appetite for plutocratic economics, antiabortion extremism, massive government cuts or other schemes favored by billionaires (e.g., indiscriminate deregulation). To the contrary, increasing her emphasis on promoting unions, taxing billionaires, subsidizing child care to increase employment participation, supporting homeownership and opening up federal jobs to noncollege graduates proved popular across the party.

In other words, a mix of progressive economics and social policy combined with strong stances on domestic and foreign threats puts her in precisely the position she would need to hold the Democratic coalition together and expand beyond her base. She can spend the next four years critiquing Trump’s radical agenda with the types of solutions she recommended, including tax cuts for the working class, investments in 21st-century industries and private-public partnerships on issues such as housing.

Finally, if Harris still harbors presidential ambitions, she should address a central Democratic deficit: reaching low- and no-information voters. Republicans dominated in the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/election-2024/" target="_blank" class="contextual_link">2024 election</a> among voters who get no political news. The right-wing disinformation machine is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/11/29/newsletter-democrats-shortcuts-low-information-voters/" target=_blank>advanced</a>, <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-disinformation-defined-the-2024-election-narrative/" target=_blank>sophisticated</a> and <a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/188197/trump-media-information-landscape-fox" target=_blank>effective</a>, as many commentators have noted. Democrats have work to do if they want to stand a chance with this cohort.

Democrats must find alternative means and platforms to reach the mass of voters critical in presidential elections. For Harris specifically, that means using her dynamic personality and affinity for contemporary culture to establish her own image among a wide swath of Americans.

She can spend the next four years on every imaginable platform (e.g., nonpolitical podcasts, radio shows and streaming events). She can cultivate so-called influencers on social media who reach deep into communities that might be adversely affected by Trump policies (including parents of school age children worried about school violence and access to vaccinations). Harris can ensure that Americans get to know her, her values and her background. Indeed, a significant benefit of forgoing elected office is the benefit of time to make and expand her public identity.

In sum, Harris is an extraordinary political talent who came very close to pulling off the near-impossible task of winning despite the incumbent president polling at below 40 percent approval.

No one would blame her if she has had her fill of presidential politics. On the other hand, there is much she can do to lay the groundwork should she decide to pursue a second act in 2028.

University of California at Berkeley, BA in history

University of California at Berkeley, JD

Jennifer Rubin writes reported opinion for The Washington Post. She is the author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy from Donald Trump” and is host of the podcast Jen Rubin's "Green Room."

Jennifer Rubin

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Harris 2028 is possible — if she wants it

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