Former Vice President Kamala Harris told an audience at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network conference she’s considering running for president again in 2028.
“I might,” Ms. Harris told a cheering crowd Friday at the civil rights conference, held in New York City. “I am thinking about it.”
Ms. Harris teased another presidential run at the end of a 45-minute question-and-answer session with Mr. Sharpton. Much of Ms. Harris’s commentary was largely a takedown of President Trump. The president, she said, “lied” about lowering the cost of living and dragged the U.S. into a “war of choice” with Iran.
She also trashed “feckless” Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate, who she said, “want to walk around with their flag pin, having their staff run around and chase them like they’re royalty.”
Ms. Harris addressed the conference ahead of a southern tour to promote her memoir, “107 Days.” She plans several stops next week in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Ms. Harris received a standing ovation from the attendees, and many of them shouted at the ex-vice president to run for the White House again.
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Mr. Trump beat Ms. Harris decisively in November 2024 by winning all of the seven swing states. The party blamed Ms. Harris’ lackluster candidacy for the 2024 wipeout, but she continues to lead the pack of potential 2028 Democratic candidates in early polling.
A Harvard-Harris poll taken at the end of March found Ms. Harris heavily favored as the next Democratic candidate for president. She led California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the runner-up, 41% to 26%. Much of her advantage over Mr. Newsom and other Democrats who might run for president came from Black, Hispanic and Asian voters.
Other candidates in the poll included Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who picked up 13% of support, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was favored by 7%.
As she trashed Mr. Trump’s foreign policy chops at the NAN conference, Ms. Harris played up her foreign policy expertise gained while vice president. “I met with over 150 world leaders, presidents, prime ministers, chancellors and kings, many of them multiple times and formed relationships,” Ms. Harris said.
Ms. Harris described having a “bilateral meeting” with then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom she invited over for breakfast.
“She leaned over to me and said, ’Please tell me what’s going on in your country with voting,’ because she was very concerned about the erosion that she was reading and hearing about in the United States around the obstruction of voting rights,” she said.
Ms. Merkel “knew the struggles, she knew the work it requires,” Ms. Harris said.
Mr. Shapiro also appeared at NAN, along with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is also a prospective 2028 presidential hopeful.
Mr. Sharpton denounced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID at the polls.
The Harvard-Harris poll found overwhelming support for requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
Mr. Buttigieg said the measure would make it impossible to use a driver’s license to register to vote. “We are talking about eligible U.S. citizens, whose right to vote should never be interfered with,” he said.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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