Kamala Harris says she hasn’t decided whether to run for president in 2028, and her husband reportedly doesn’t want her to

Kamala Harris, who served as vice president, says she has not decided whether to run for president in 2028. Doug Emhoff, her husband, has reportedly let some people know in private that he would rather she not run. According to The Wall Street Journal, some donors have also told Harris directly that running again would be “a long shot.” The paper cited people with knowledge of the talks.

The paper reported that Harris has made moves that could precede a campaign. She has met with major donors, brought on staff and visited battleground states to help Democrats on the ballot in the midterms. People around Emhoff believe he would back her if she goes ahead. Some Democrats in her circle think the party should look to someone else.

Harris spoke about 2028 in September during a fireside chat with NAACP leaders in Detroit. “I have not decided if I’m going to run again,” she said. She added that she believes 2028 will not matter if Democrats do not get through the midterms. In April, Rev. Al Sharpton asked her about a bid at the National Action Network’s convention in New York, and she answered, “I am thinking about it.”

Harris plans five-state midterm campaign swing

Harris’ office has put together an itinerary for the closing stretch of the midterm campaign, running from Oct. 21 through Oct. 30. Mississippi, New Hampshire and Wisconsin are new additions, joining the Georgia and Nevada dates announced earlier. In recent interviews, she has said her priority is the party’s November races.

Nevada comes first. Harris will appear there with Attorney General Aaron Ford, who would become Nevada’s first Black governor if elected. In Mississippi, she will join Senate candidate Scott Colom. If elected, Colom would be Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction. His opponent is Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican.

New Hampshire is next, where Harris will campaign alongside Chris Pappas, the Senate nominee, and take part in a conversation about abortion rights and reproductive health. She then travels to Wisconsin to appear with gubernatorial nominee David Crowley. Her last three days are in Georgia, alongside Sen. Jon Ossoff, and include a speech in Atlanta at the yearly gala held by Fulton County Democrats.

During those Georgia days, she will lead an online organizing event with Angie Nixon, the Senate nominee in Florida. Nixon serves in the state legislature and has described herself as a democratic socialist. Harris’ previous stop was Michigan, where she backed Abdul El-Sayed, a Senate nominee, and addressed an NAACP gathering.

Nevada’s contest is second on the 2028 Democratic primary calendar, behind South Carolina, with New Hampshire third. Harris lost the 2024 election to Donald Trump and has kept the option of another run open. Gavin Newsom, the California governor, told CNN’s Jake Tapper in September, “I wouldn’t run if she ran.” Other Democrats have also been in the news this month, as when agents searched Ilhan Omar’s home.