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Harris invites 2028 speculation with speech in New York to Al Sharpton-hosted event

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by Amie Parnes - 04/10/26 6:00 AM ET

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by Amie Parnes - 04/10/26 6:00 AM ET

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Former Vice President Kamala Harris is increasingly behaving like a candidate in waiting for the 2028 presidential election.

Harris — who lost the 2024 presidential election to President Trump — is stepping up her public and online presence, frequently weighing in on the war in Iran, and notably declining to shut down speculation on a future run — even as her allies insist no decision has been made.

Her anticipated appearance Friday at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN) convention is likely to intensify that perception among Democrats already reading the signs.

“Candidates are very good about pushing people off a scent if they don’t want you to think about a certain thing,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne. “It does seem like they’re comfortable with people speculating about it and that’s notable for us political watchers.”

At the Sharpton event, where a string of would-be candidates have been testing their messages and courting Black voters this week, Payne said Harris “will be the center of gravity.”

Behind the scenes, Harris’s allies quietly agree she’s undergoing “a testing of the waters,” as one put it, especially as the midterm elections loom large over the party and as a void in party leadership still lingers.

At the same time, one longtime donor said, “She’s a smart woman and also isn’t going to do something fruitless for no reason” if she decides that the support isn’t there.

While Harris has been on a months-long book tour — which began in the fall — NAN will be one of the first big tests to see how she is received again, particularly up against contenders such as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who were also featured speakers at the conference.

Harris in recent days has also been a vocal critic of the administration, particularly on Iran.

On Tuesday, as Trump threatened to escalate military action in the country, Harris swiped at Trump on the social platform X, saying he “started a disastrous war of his own making and no plan and no strategy for how to end it.”

A week earlier, before Trump delivered his prime-time speech about the ongoing military conflict in Iran, Harris — who said she would not be watching — was quick to get ahead of it.

“He brought America into a war the people do not want. He has put American troops in harm’s way. Costs are rising by the day and meanwhile he has done nothing to address the needs of the people of America,” she said during a short video posted to her social media accounts.

“And I bet you he’s going to try and claim victory tonight but the reality is we’re watching what he does instead of listening to what he says,” she continued.

Early polling of 2028 presidential contenders has shown Harris as the front-runner, with the exception of a few polls that show California Gov. Gavin Newsom with more support. And publicly, she has expressed some interest in staying in the political arena.

In an interview with the BBC last fall, Harris said her grandnieces would “for sure” see a female president in their lifetimes and that it could “possibly” be her.

She told the outlet she has “lived my entire career as a life of service” and that “it’s in my bones.”

“I am not done,” she said.

Democratic strategist Anthony Coley said the moves collectively mean one thing: “She appears to be keeping her options open.”

But donors and other Democratic operatives have expressed some misgivings about Harris running again for the presidency after a failed primary bid in 2020, and her defeat to Trump in 2024.

“Why would we do that?” one donor said. “You don’t get slapped once and turn your head to get slapped again. It makes zero sense.”

An added tension in her potential decisionmaking would be whether to compete against Newsom in a primary because she and the California governor share a number of consultants and donors.

“And some are already quietly rallying behind Newsom,” one operative in the state said. “It would put a serious dent in her plans.”

But Harris’s appearance at the NAN event is an opportunity for her to reset the narrative and also reintroduce herself to Democrats and the broader electorate, as she considers whether to run.

“She’ll be very well received,” one strategist said. “There will be a lot of love and affection for her in that crowd, but it’s the first time in a long time where we’ll be able to see how far that love will extend.”

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