The question is whether Harris can convince enough Democratic donors and voters to give her another shot.

Harris has received plenty of encouragement over the past year that might lead her to think another campaign is plausible. Her aforementioned book about the 2024 presidential race sold well, with Politico describing it as one of the most commercially successful political memoirs of 2025.

Additionally, Harris’s book tour has done well. She has drawn fairly large crowds who tell her they are eager to see her run for president yet again. It’s the kind of thing someone who wants to wind up in the White House likes to hear.

Harris is reciprocating. She announced in a text message to her supporters that she plans to be a player in the 2026 midterm elections, through her political action committee and her own ambitions to “travel, speak out and help elect Democrats. And I cannot do this alone.” 

The former vice president and reigning titular head of the Democratic Party was not particularly active in this year’s off-year elections, which went well for Democrats. This time around, she aims to show Democrats that she is still an important part of their success.

“Donations are going to be critical, especially before the first [Federal Election Commission] fundraising deadline ends in a few days, and we’re legally required to report what we’ve raised,” Harris wrote. “Everyone will be watching, and I hope to file a big report.”

A Harris spokeswoman told Axios that her boss “will approach 2026 with the same commitment that anchored 2025 — listening to the American people, reflecting where leadership has fallen short, and helping shape the path forward beyond this political moment.” But not, of course, without “supporting efforts to win back Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.”

Nevertheless, Harris faces some obstacles along the way. The first will be convincing donors that she won’t once again blow through $1 billion while losing all seven battleground states and the popular vote. Money was one of the reasons Democrats anointed her at their convention in Chicago — she alone could keep all the money former President Joe Biden had raised and direct its spending — but it’s now obvious other anti-Trump contenders would have been fine financially.

There is also history. Democrats haven’t renominated a losing presidential standard-bearer since Adlai Stevenson in 1956 (he lost a second time to Dwight Eisenhower, then the incumbent president). That includes popular vote winners Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, who didn’t run again but weren’t exactly encouraged to either. 

Like Harris, Clinton and Gore both lost their first campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination. But Clinton ran a highly competitive campaign against Barack Obama, the eventual nominee and winner of the 2008 presidential election. Harris didn’t quite make it to 2019 and dropped out before the first primary or caucus was held.

A fellow Californian, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), has arguably surpassed her as the 2028 Democratic front-runner. The polls vary. A survey conducted for the Daily Mail showed Harris with a 9-point lead over Newsom, winning 30% of the vote. Others show big numbers for Newsom, who is ahead by 2.2 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average. And Newsom’s win on the California redistricting ballot initiative will provide material support for the Democrats’ efforts to retake the House in the 2026 elections.

TRUMP’S AFFORDABILITY CONUNDRUM 

It is still quite early, and Harris is benefiting from name recognition compared to most of the rest of the possible Democratic field. She remains a cautious candidate who can be risk-averse to the point of indecision. She is said to be toying with at least her third message in as many campaigns. Her book ruffled feathers among the Democrats who may run against her in the 2028 primaries, but would also be called upon to help her if she won the nomination again.

But 2026 will give Harris her first test of continued political relevance and a way to show whether she can actually help Democrats win again.