Former Vice President Kamala Harris is considering a third presidential campaign, but faces open rejection from within her own party—including Iowa Democrats who do not want her campaigning for them.
Alaska Representative Mary Peltola declined Harris's endorsement for her re-election bid. Iowa state Treasurer Rob Sand and state Senator Josh Turek also rejected her support, according to multiple reports.
Harris's potential 2028 bid comes after two failed White House runs. Her first campaign collapsed before the Iowa Caucuses. Her second, as the Democratic nominee in 2024, lasted 100 days, cost over $1 billion, and ended with losses across every swing state to President Donald Trump.
Sources familiar with Harris's thinking say she is weighing her options but has not explicitly discussed a run with her team. Meanwhile, allies of President Joe Biden are reportedly trying to quash the speculation.
Influential California donors who backed Harris in 2024 are skeptical. One early supporter said no one they know believes another run "would be good for anything," and expressed a preference for a "fresh and not imposed" candidate.
A Harris 2024 fundraiser said the electorate wants a "new, fresh, younger voice with a different perspective" and that Harris is "not the right person for this moment."
A longtime Democratic donor involved in her 2020 campaign said he had heard no support for another Harris run. "In fact, it's the opposite," he said. He added that while anyone who became the nominee after Biden's withdrawal would have raised money, many major Harris 2024 donors did not feel confident putting cash behind her again.
Another Harris 2020 fundraiser, also active in 2024, criticized Harris for failing to maintain donor relationships. "We're now two years into it, and I don't know anybody's even got a thank you note," the fundraiser said.
The challenges extend even into Democratic strongholds. In an Iowa district rated "Kamala Harris +38," Trump received 6,226 votes to Harris's 5,270 in a past election, according to local reporting.
Iowa GOP strategist David Kochel identified this dynamic as "the Kamala Harris problem"—the inherent political risk of being tied to a past administration.
Harris has also sought guidance on the Israel issue from New York Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani.
The rejection from candidates and donors signals a steep climb for Harris if she pursues a third campaign. The Democratic Party is moving toward new leadership for 2028.
