Kamala Harris is openly signaling she wants the Democratic National Committee to release its full postmortem of her failed 2024 presidential campaign, according to sources familiar with her private conversations with donors. The move marks a notable break from party leadership, which has chosen to keep the findings under wraps.
Harris has not yet discussed the autopsy directly with DNC Chairman Ken Martin and learned of his decision to bury the report only after he made it, the sources say. Yet her willingness to have the party air what went wrong stands in contrast to the political calculus many operatives would recommend for someone eyeing another White House bid.
The former vice president lost to Donald Trump decisively in 2024, falling short by 312 electoral votes to 226 and trailing by 1.5 percentage points in the popular vote. Despite the defeat, she captured 75 million votes, more than any losing candidate in U.S. history.
Harris has begun laying groundwork for a potential 2028 run without explicitly announcing one. She publicly acknowledged last month at a National Action Network event in New York that she is "thinking about" another bid. Since the election, she has toured the country giving speeches to state parties, consulted with influential allies including Rev. Al Sharpton about her path forward, and maintained active relationships with key operatives and donors.
Sharpton, in a recent conversation with Harris, acknowledged her historic achievement as the first woman and first woman of color to serve as vice president. But he also warned her that losing again could damage her legacy. "She is definitely getting a lot of push, and I think it will ultimately impact her decision," Sharpton said in an interview.
The autopsy has become a flash point within Democratic circles. Martin had promised a comprehensive review of the 2024 loss and vowed to release it publicly. DNC-commissioned documents obtained by NBC News reveal structural problems with Harris' campaign despite its massive spending advantage. The campaign made more than 300 million phone calls in 2024, a historical record, but only 3% of those calls actually reached a voter.
Harris' preference for disclosure appears strategic. Some progressive groups have suggested that secrecy around the autopsy could benefit her chances of running again. Meanwhile, donors remain uneasy about how Harris' campaign and the DNC jointly burned through $1.5 billion in just 107 days.
Harris is simultaneously building a platform around three policy areas: reviving the "American Dream," the intersection of artificial intelligence with public interest, and boosting civic education. In speeches to state Democratic parties, she has emphasized economic challenges facing working Americans and what she describes as a "rigged political system."
Her potential candidacy faces significant headwinds. Many Democratic insiders argue she carries too much baggage from the Biden administration and had her chance. Some party members have shifted leftward, energized by younger, more anti-establishment figures willing to challenge the Democratic establishment on issues like Gaza policy and wages. New York Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani has gained prominence, and excitement is building around a potential presidential bid by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Yet Harris holds advantages her competitors lack. Early polls show her leading the field of potential 2028 contenders, partly due to name recognition. She maintains an active national fundraising network. Her monthslong, 33-city book tour promoting "107 Days," her account of the 2024 campaign, took her to vote-rich Democratic communities, including Southern cities with large Black populations. She remains instantly recognizable to nearly every American and has already endured the rigors of a national campaign.
Gabriel Uy, the DNC's national coalitions director, recently announced he was leaving to work with Harris, signaling organizational buildup around her potential candidacy. Uy previously worked in Nevada during Harris' 2020 primary bid and later served in her office as vice president.
Harris has indicated privately that she intends to articulate a new position on Middle East policy once freed from Biden administration constraints, potentially doing so after midterm elections. Whether she would make that statement as a party elder or as a presidential candidate remains an open question.
A slew of other Democrats are also positioning themselves as potential 2028 contenders, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and various senators. Harris' decision on whether to run could reshape the entire Democratic primary landscape.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Harris betting that transparency about 2024's failures beats the alternative of being haunted by a secret autopsy, but the real test is whether Democrats will forgive or forget her role in Biden's bungled exit."
Comments