Harris Pushes Grassroots Message in Mississippi as 2028 Questions Swirl Around Her Next Move
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Kamala Harris said she is still weighing a possible 2028 presidential bid while campaigning for Democrat Scott Colom in Mississippi, stressing that she wants to listen to voters and confront health-care failures that have long been neglected.
Kamala Harris visited Coahoma Community College and a rural health clinic in the Mississippi Delta on Thursday, meeting students and local leaders while backing Democrat Scott Colom’s Senate campaign against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Harris said the visits help “uplift” communities and give voice to the lingering pain from recent elections, adding that “the American people want leaders who aren’t just occupied with looking in the mirror.”
When asked about a potential 2028 presidential run, Harris said she is “going back and forth” and has not made a decision, emphasizing that any future campaign would be driven by a desire to “actually do the job” rather than to undercut other Democrats. She also brushed aside speculation about her husband’s position, saying that he is “upset at his feelings being portrayed inaccurately.”
Harris’s tour comes as several Democratic officeholders, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, are considering their own presidential bids. While she has not staged high-profile fundraising events, Harris continues to show up on the campaign trail, focusing on issues such as Black maternal health and rural hospital access in Mississippi.
Local Democratic leaders offered mixed reactions to Harris’s involvement. Some view her presence as a meaningful way to draw national attention to health-care concerns, while others remain cautious about the political effects of a former vice-presidential candidate campaigning in a Senate race.
"If I run, my motivation is not to beat other Democrats. It’s to actually do the job," Harris told CNN.
"I want them to do whatever they need to do to win. I mean that sincerely," she added regarding candidates who prefer she not appear at their events.
Harris emphasized the importance of engaging voters in traditionally Republican states, arguing that the “conventional wisdom” that such states are unwinnable deserves to be challenged. She said Mississippi’s electorate could offer lessons for future contests in neighboring South Carolina, where Black voters play a pivotal role in Democratic primaries.