A liberal columnist for USA Today is urging Democrats not to rally behind former Vice President Kamala Harris for president in 2028.
"I have no doubt in my mind that she knows what the job entails. What I doubt is that she has the backing to actually secure the presidency for the Democrats. In all of this fanfare over her potential run, my question is, 'Why?'" USA Today opinion writer Sara Pequeño said Friday. "Why is she willing to humiliate herself and the Democratic Party for a second time? Why does she think she has a better shot this time? What has she done to better the lives of people who voted for her in the months since she lost the presidential election?"
Harris renewed 2028 speculation last month during a sit-down with Al Sharpton, saying she "might" make another go for the White House.
Pequeño, who voted for Harris in 2024, called her chances of winning in 2028 "slim," telling readers, "the nation has far too much to lose to bet on her."
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"It's up to her to decide whether to run again - but as a Democratic voter, I'm wary of seeing her at the top of the 2028 ticket after her devastating loss," Pequeño wrote, noting that Hillary Clinton "at least" won the popular vote in 2016.
While acknowledging Harris is leading many Democratic primary polls, Pequeño also pointed to betting markets showing her odds of actually becoming the Democratic nominee are "at just over 9%."
"Sure, she's popular with Democrats. That does not mean she's popular with the overall population," she wrote. "For most people, Harris' name carries baggage from the 2024 presidential campaign, as well as her failure to do anything of note following her attempt to reach the Oval Office. She hasn't done much to cement herself as the new leader of the Democratic Party in the aftermath."
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The USA Today columnist accused Harris of being "absent from the conversation" during President Donald Trump's second term in office and that she can't "ignite enthusiasm" among progressive Democrats and "burned bridges" with the establishment wing of her party after publishing her memoir last year.
She also insisted those claiming Harris lost for being a woman of color are "naive."
"On the presidential campaign trail, Harris failed to establish a clear message on affordability, continuously touted the lethality of the U.S. military and gave non-answers on the situation in Gaza and transgender issues," Pequeño said. "She aimed for the middle by following the playbook that former President Joe Biden had laid out for her, and ended up pleasing no one in the process."
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Harris took responsibility but also blamed a variety of factors for her defeat at Trump's hands, which saw her lose every major swing state and become the first Democrat to lose the popular vote in a presidential election since 2004. Her truncated campaign time and the baggage of an unpopular Joe Biden hurt her candidacy, she has argued.
