OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
After her devastating blowout loss to now-President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Husband Doug Emhoff retreated to Hawaii for a vacation and some wind-down time, but insiders have revealed something more.
Those who know Harris best say they believe she’s already plotting a comeback to the campaign trail, perhaps as a Democratic presidential contender in 2028.
“Of course, she’s going to try and run again,” one insider told DailyMail.com, citing Harris’ enduring ambition.
Polls indicate that Harris is currently the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. A Puck News/Echelon Insights survey shows Harris leading with 41 percent support among Democrats, while other potential candidates lag in single digits.
However, the same poll revealed that 59 percent of Democrats prefer to look beyond Harris in their search for a leader to guide the party out of its political challenges.
In 2028, Kamala Harris will be 63, still young enough to stage a political comeback, particularly if Trump’s second term is perceived as a failure, DailyMail.com noted. However, strategists acknowledge that Harris will need to implement significant changes if she intends to position herself as a viable presidential candidate in the future, citing her biggest issue — the struggle to effectively communicate.
“Even when she’s talking forever, she’s not really saying much at all,” one strategist told the outlet.
A Democratic strategist suggested that Kamala Harris’s rapid ascent from district attorney to senator and then to Vice President of the United States has been a contributing factor to her challenges as a candidate.
“This is someone who had a meteoric rise, her Achilles heel has been not having her own political identity, it created this blanket of caution that really f***d her up,” the strategist told DailyMail.com.
“Kamala can run again and hopefully will improve as a messenger but I think the concerns about her ability to convey a coherent message still remain,” said another strategist.
Meanwhile, with Trump constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in four years, speculation about who will run to succeed him in 2028 is already rampant.
Vice President-elect JD Vance is currently the frontrunner to become the 48th president, with a 25% chance (+300 odds), according to SportsBettingDime.
As vice president, Vance will be next in line to assume office should Trump be unable or unwilling to continue serving.
Since 1933, only five vice presidents have been successfully elected to serve as commander-in-chief, according to the New York Post.
Vance, 40, leads the odds list, followed by former first lady Michelle Obama (+500), California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom (+550), Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis (+800), former Democratic congresswoman-turned-Republican activist Tulsi Gabbard (+1000), and right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson (+1400), the outlet reported.
Harris (+2500) is tied with Oprah Winfrey and narrowly surpassed Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro (+3300), whom Harris chose not to select as her running mate, despite Democratic operatives believing he could have helped secure the Keystone State for Democrats.
Other notable figures on the list include former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (+1400), former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (+2500), Donald Trump Jr. (+4000), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (+5000), and pro wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (+6600).
Tech guru Elon Musk also appears on the list (+5000), despite being constitutionally ineligible for the presidency due to his South African birthplace. He shares the same odds with Ivanka Trump (+5000), Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (+5000), Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (+5000), and former Rep. Liz Cheney (+6600).
Many of the individuals listed have previously been subjects of presidential speculation.
Michelle Obama, in particular, has long been a favorite among the left and remains one of the most popular Democrats at the national level.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s name has been mentioned as a possible alternative to President Biden, but the California governor has remained loyal to the 81-year-old, even amidst concerns about Biden’s mental acuity. Newsom is term-limited and cannot run for reelection in 2026.
Similarly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited and ineligible for reelection in 2026. However, he took a different route from Newsom by challenging his party’s de facto leader for the presidency, albeit unsuccessfully.
