Midterm hopefuls distance themselves from former Vice President Kamala Harris
Several Democratic candidates across swing states have publicly declined to campaign with former Vice President Kamala Harris, citing a need for new leadership ahead of the 2024 midterms.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is encountering mixed reactions as she tours the Midwest ahead of the 2024 midterm elections. While she will be welcomed in Detroit by Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, other Democratic candidates have signaled they prefer to keep their campaigns separate from her.
Iowa gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand told Politico, "No thanks. Let's move on. We need some new leadership." Senate candidates in Iowa and Kansas also said they would not align with Harris, and Democratic nominees in Texas and Arizona reported no plans to campaign alongside her, according to reports.
Kansas Senate candidate Adam Hamilton explained to Politico that he must appeal to Republican voters whose "worldview may be a bit different than Kamala Harris." The distancing comes as a recent Politico poll shows support for a potential Harris presidential run slipping, with only 28% of California voters expressing enthusiasm for a 2028 bid, down 13 points since March.
Harris faces broader skepticism within her party; a poll found 55% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters would not be excited about another Harris campaign, and only 10% believed she would have a better chance than Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom told CNN he does not expect Harris to run again, though he said he would support her if she entered the race.
El-Sayed, a former Detroit health director, said Harris’s visit could help unite fractured Democratic constituencies in Michigan, particularly amid tensions over the war in Gaza. "We're building an electoral coalition here," he told the Associated Press ahead of a joint appearance.
The itinerary includes a discussion on Black maternal health and a voting-rights forum with the local NAACP chapter. El-Sayed noted that some Black voters felt hurt after Arab American voters were perceived as not supporting Harris in the 2020 election, and he sees the visit as an opportunity to mend that divide.
Harris responded to the snubs by saying she supports fellow Democrats in any effort to win. She is slated to campaign in Nevada with gubernatorial nominee Aaron Ford, in Georgia with Senator Jon Ossoff, and with congressional candidates in California.
A fundraising document obtained by the New York Times presented Harris as a potentially valuable surrogate for midterm races, though she has said she is not rushing decisions about a 2028 presidential run, emphasizing a focus on the upcoming midterms.