From Washington Examiner: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) predicted Sunday that former Vice President Kamala Harris could have a “strong” campaign if she decided to run for president again in 2028.
Kelly appeared on NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday to respond to the rumors that Harris is planning to run again. Host Kristen Welker asked the senator if he thought Harris was “a strong candidate in 2028.”
Harris notably became the candidate after former President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, when every state had already voted in the Democratic primary election, but she would ultimately lose to President Donald Trump, failing to win any swing states.
“Absolutely, yeah. I mean, she was the nominee last time,” Kelly said.
“You would encourage her to run?” Welker asked.
“I think she would be incredibly strong. I think you’re going to have a dozen if not more folks running, probably on either side,” Kelly said.
Despite Kelly’s confident statement, Harris has not been a particularly strong (or popular) candidate in the past. She initially ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, but she withdrew her candidacy in December 2019 amid funding and popularity issues. In the 2024 presidential race, Harris was nominated as the Democratic candidate without needing to overcome a primary challenge.
When votes were finally tallied for her in the general election, Harris was soundly trounced by President Trump. He secured 312 electoral votes compared to Harris’s 226. Trump also won the national popular vote with 49.8% to Harris’s 48.3%. Plus, Trump won every swing state.
Adding to the defeat, the Republican Party won the House and the Senate, and maintained their control of 27 governorships, with no seats flipping to the Democrats.
The solid Republican win was seen not only as approval of the party but also as a denouncement of the unpopular Biden administration, with which Harris closely aligned herself throughout the campaign.
Harris has since written a book explaining her loss and putting distance between herself and former President Biden. Whether that will be enough to win over voters remains to be seen.
Read more at Washington Examiner.
