Harris Flirts With 2028 Run While Stumping in Mississippi and Stirring Up More Political Theater
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Kamala Harris said she is still wavering on a possible 2028 presidential bid as she campaigned for Democrat Scott Colom in Mississippi, framing the trip as a way to push her agenda and keep herself in the spotlight.
Kamala Harris visited Coahoma Community College and a rural health clinic in the Mississippi Delta on Thursday, meeting students and local leaders while boosting Democrat Scott Colom’s Senate campaign against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Harris said the visits “uplift” communities and pointed to the lingering pain from recent elections, claiming 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, insisting that any future campaign would be driven by a desire to “actually do the job” rather than to defeat other Democrats. She also dismissed speculation about her husband’s stance, 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 engaged in high-profile fundraising events, Harris continues to make campaign appearances, highlighting issues such as Black maternal health and rural hospital access in Mississippi.
Local Democratic leaders expressed mixed views on Harris’s involvement. Some see her presence as useful for drawing national attention to health-care concerns, while others remain wary of the political impact 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 stressed the importance of engaging voters in traditionally Republican states, saying the “conventional wisdom” that such states are unwinnable should be questioned. She noted that Mississippi’s electorate could provide insight for future contests in neighboring South Carolina, where Black voters play a pivotal role in Democratic primaries.