Kamala Harris Hits the Trail for Midterms as 2028 Decision Looms

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is stepping back onto the campaign trail ahead of the 2026 midterms, beginning with a Tuesday visit to Michigan on behalf of Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. The trip is freighted with significance: Michigan was among the seven battlegrounds she lost to Donald Trump in 2024, and it is one of six states that will launch the Democratic Party's next presidential nominating contest.

Further rallies are planned in Nevada and Georgia, two other states central to the party's electoral map. Harris has not announced any travel to South Carolina, which will hold the first Democratic primary.

The swing comes as Harris weighs whether to seek the presidency again. Her appearances could either reinforce or erode her position as a potential Democratic front-runner. While she remains one of the country's best-known political figures, some in the party are ready to move on after her loss to Trump, whom she faced after replacing President Joe Biden atop the ticket.

"I think she's run her course," said Barry Goodman, a Democratic National Committee member from Michigan who raised money for Biden and later Harris. "I just don't think her running again would be the right thing for America moving forward."

Some Democratic candidates in Republican-leaning states have distanced themselves from the former vice president. Iowa gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand told Politico, "No thanks. Let's move on. We need some new leadership."

Others argue she has earned the time to decide. California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently said he would not seek the nomination if Harris does. Donna Brazile, a former Democratic National Committee chair, said it was a "waste of time" to relitigate Harris's abbreviated 2024 campaign and urged other White House hopefuls to follow her lead by helping midterm candidates.

Harris's history in Michigan is complicated. During the 2024 campaign, the state's Arab American communities were angered by Biden's support for Israel's military operations in Gaza and were disappointed that Harris did not break with him. El-Sayed, by contrast, is an outspoken critic of Israel who has described the war as genocide against Palestinians, a charge Israel rejects. He has been viewed warily by some Jewish voters and has apologized for past controversial comments.

El-Sayed told MSNOW that "there were some hurt feelings" in Michigan over the 2024 election, with some Black voters feeling Arab Americans did not do enough to help Harris. He said her visit is a chance "to bring communities together that have often been torn apart by recent events."

The joint appearance will also be watched for signs of how Harris, who has a strained relationship with the party's progressive wing, and El-Sayed, who is eager to consolidate establishment support against Republican nominee Mike Rogers, manage their differences.

"We can build together on the areas of agreement, and we can come to understand each other far better on the areas where we might have seen eye to eye, and I think her coming into town will help us to do that," El-Sayed said.

Harris's political travel has been lighter than that of other potential contenders. Pete Buttigieg, who ran in 2020 before serving as Biden's transportation secretary, recently visited South Carolina and has been stumping for Democrats. Harris visited South Carolina in the spring for smaller local party events and recently spoke on an organizing call aimed at registering and turning out one million more Black voters.

"There's value in doing a lot of stuff behind the scenes instead of being front and center, especially for her," said Bre Maxwell, a Democratic National Committee member from South Carolina, noting that Harris remains a target of Trump.

Jaime Harrison, a South Carolinian who served as national party chair under Biden and Harris, said her stature gives her the advantage of time that other potential candidates lack.

Harris has said repeatedly that she feels no rush to decide her next move. "Right now – midterms, midterms, midterms," she told Megan Rapinoe on a recent podcast. Her spokesman, Eduardo Negrón, declined to comment on her timeline.

Her fall schedule includes events for Nevada's Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Aaron Ford, and Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is seeking reelection and has generated his own 2028 speculation.

Antjuan Seawright, a South Carolina political consultant, said Harris is being strategic, noting that her book tour for "107 Days" touched nearly every major Southern city in states where Black voters hold strong influence in early primaries. If she runs again, he said, she would need to emphasize moderate positions and show a willingness to say she has rethought some things.

Harrison argued it would be easier for Harris to articulate her own agenda than when she was "somebody else's No. 2," but warned she would have to shed the trappings of the vice presidency. "You can't act like a sitting vice president, standing up on that stage," he said. "I'd tell her she has to run hard, just as hard as everybody else, working every rope line, taking every selfie."