Former second husband Doug Emhoff has made some head-turning remarks about wife and former Vice President Kamala Harris making a second bid for the White House.
According to a Friday report, Emhoff has told some people he would prefer his wife not run again in 2028.
The Wall Street Journal reported his private preference, citing people familiar with the conversations.
People close to Emhoff nevertheless expect him to support Harris if she chooses another presidential bid.
Harris has said she has not decided whether to seek the Democratic presidential nomination again.
Some donors have told her directly that another campaign would be a long shot, according to the Journal.
Their doubts arrive as she takes steps that could keep a national campaign within reach.
Harris has met with major donors, hired staff, and traveled to battleground states. She is also helping Democratic candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Those activities can serve the party now without proving she has decided to run in 2028.
The former vice president discussed her uncertainty at a Michigan NAACP event last month.
“I have not decided if I’m going to run again,” she told the audience.
Harris said the immediate political focus should be getting through the 2026 elections.
That public message leaves room for a future bid while avoiding a formal announcement.
Emhoff’s reported position adds a personal dimension to a debate already underway among Democratic donors.
His reasons were not spelled out in the report, and he has not publicly announced opposition to her candidacy.
The couple endured an unusually compressed presidential campaign after President Joe Biden ended his 2024 reelection bid.
Harris became the Democratic nominee without a contested open primary and had 107 days to campaign.
President Donald Trump won the Electoral College, the popular vote, and all seven swing states.
The defeat set off arguments inside the party about its candidate, message, and path forward.
Some Democrats want a new nominee rather than a repeat of the last presidential contest.
Others still view Harris as a prominent leader with national support and established relationships.
She leads many early surveys of a hypothetical 2028 Democratic primary field.
Early name recognition, however, does not settle how a future primary with declared candidates would unfold.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said he would not run if Harris entered the race.
Other possible contenders could still create a crowded contest unlike the rapid consolidation of 2024.
Harris has not stopped appearing at party events while those questions circulate.
The Journal reported private fundraisers for Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Wisconsin and Nevada.
She also joined a Democratic National Committee call with more than 2,000 volunteers this week.
Her schedule includes expected campaign appearances in Nevada and Georgia before the midterms.
Those engagements keep her visible to donors and voters in states central to national politics.
They also put her record and future ambitions under renewed scrutiny.
Her current team includes chief of staff Candace Bond and communications director Eduardo Negrón, the Journal reported.
Strategist Brian Fallon, who worked on her 2024 campaign, has remained among those advising her.
That team gives Harris a platform for political work, regardless of whether she pursues the presidency.
Emhoff, meanwhile, has returned to legal practice in Los Angeles since leaving Washington.
The couple has purchased a home in Malibu, according to the Journal.
Harris wrote in her memoir that Emhoff made professional sacrifices when she became Biden’s running mate.
She also described the strain that political attacks placed on them during the 2024 campaign.
That history gives context to his reported preference without establishing his private reasoning today, Mediaite reported.
The political question is whether Harris can explain what a third campaign would offer beyond another contest with familiar names.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
