Kamala Harris’s political future hangs in the balance months after her election loss to now-President Donald Trump. As she weighs her next move, Harris has been leaning on family and trusted advisors, including Hillary Clinton—someone who knows all too well the challenges of life after an election defeat. The two have reportedly spoken multiple times since Harris’s loss, according to New York Magazine.
Rumors about Harris’s next steps are swirling. Some speculate she could run for California governor next year, with close ally Gavin Newsom term-limited. Others think she may set her sights on the presidency again, possibly making a run in 2028. Even after her defeat, Harris reportedly told her team to keep that option on the table.
While she hasn’t laid out her plans, Harris has made it clear that she’s not stepping away from politics. Just days before leaving office as Vice President under Joe Biden, she signed her desk drawer in a symbolic gesture, telling staff that she wouldn’t “go quietly into the night” and that “our work is not done.”
Her words echoed those from her concession speech, where she told supporters, “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
After her unsuccessful presidential bid in 2020, Harris joined Joe Biden as his running mate, with a clear path ahead. Biden had initially hinted he might serve only one term, but in an unexpected twist, he announced his re-election campaign in April 2023. That all changed in July 2024, however, after Biden withdrew from the race following a failed debate performance and a near-assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.