{"id":2527241,"date":"2025-12-31T09:53:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-needs-big-wins-in-2026-to-keep-her-presidential-hopes-alive\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T09:56:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:56:38","slug":"kamala-harris-needs-big-wins-in-2026-to-keep-her-presidential-hopes-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-needs-big-wins-in-2026-to-keep-her-presidential-hopes-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Kamala Harris needs big wins in 2026 to keep her presidential hopes alive"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkamala-harris-needs-big-wins-in-2026-to-keep-her-presidential-hopes-alive%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2527241&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former Vice President Kamala Harris plans to play an active role in the 2026 midterms as she positions herself for a possible 2028 presidential bid, using her PAC, fundraising and appearances to boost down\u2011ballot Democrats.Her campaign memoir sold well and her book tour has drawn sizable crowds, signaling some grassroots enthusiasm. Harris says she will travel, speak out and help elect Democrats, and hopes to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >post strong early fundraising numbers<\/a> to reassure donors. But she faces major obstacles: convincing donors she won&#8217;t again spend heavily and still lose, overcoming the ancient reluctance of Democrats to renominate a recent loser, and competing with other potential 2028 frontrunners-moast notably California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose standing in polls is mixed. 2026 will serve as an critically important test of Harris&#8217;s political relevance and her ability to deliver tangible wins for the party.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Kamala Harris needs big wins in 2026 to keep her presidential hopes alive<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2459032\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Former Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\">Kamala Harris<\/a> is expected to hit the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-elections\/\">campaign trail next year<\/a>, boosting down-ballot Democrats as she eyes another run for the party&rsquo;s presidential nomination in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\">2028<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If Harris decides a third time will be the charm, she will have a lot more than 107 days &mdash; the length of her stay on top of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\">2024 Democratic ticket<\/a> when she lost to President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>, as the title of her campaign memoir reminds us &mdash;&nbsp;before the next presidential election.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4363005\/pence-unlikely-face-conservative-opposition-trump-populism\/\">Pence becomes unlikely face of conservative opposition to Trump and populism<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The question is whether Harris can convince enough Democratic donors and voters to give her another shot.<\/p>\n<p>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 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.biz\/p\/kamala-harris-107-days-sales\">sold well<\/a>, with <em>Politico <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/09\/30\/harris-campaign-memoir-selling-fast-00587254\">describing<\/a> it as one of the most commercially successful political memoirs of 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Harris&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/3894854\/kamala-emotion-tour\/\">book tour<\/a> has done well. She has drawn fairly large crowds who tell her they are eager to see her run for president yet again. It&rsquo;s the kind of thing someone who wants to wind up in the White House likes to hear.<\/p>\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marriott-att-airbnbheres-the-list-of-corporations-announcing-they-wont-donate-to-gop-lawmakers-who-objected-to-electoral-votes-from-contested-states\/\" title=\"Marriott, AT&amp;T, Airbnb\u2026Here\u2019s The List Of Corporations Announcing They Won\u2019t Donate To GOP Lawmakers Who Objected To Electoral Votes From Contested States\">political action committee<\/a> and her&nbsp;own ambitions to &ldquo;travel, speak out and help elect Democrats. And I cannot do this alone.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The former vice president and reigning titular head of the Democratic Party was not particularly active in this year&rsquo;s off-year elections, which <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3875754\/democrats-off-year-elections-emboldening-against-trump\/\">went well for Democrats<\/a>. This time around, she aims to show Democrats that she is still an important part of their success.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Donations are going to be critical, especially before the first [Federal Election Commission] fundraising deadline ends in a few days, and we&rsquo;re legally required to report what we&rsquo;ve raised,&rdquo; Harris wrote. &ldquo;Everyone will be watching, and I hope to file a big report.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A Harris spokeswoman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/12\/14\/kamala-harris-president-2028\">told<\/a> <em>Axios <\/em>that her boss &ldquo;will approach 2026 with the same commitment that anchored 2025 &mdash; listening to the American people, reflecting where leadership has fallen short, and helping shape the path forward beyond this political moment.&rdquo; But not, of course, without &ldquo;supporting efforts to win back Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, Harris faces some obstacles along the way. The first will be convincing donors that she won&rsquo;t once again <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/watch\/1877271\/\">blow through $1 billion<\/a> while losing all seven battleground states and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nothing-about-this-election-seems-to-add-up-the-liberty-loft\/\" title=\"Nothing about this election seems to add up | The Liberty Loft\">popular vote<\/a>. Money was one of the reasons Democrats anointed her at their convention in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chicago\/\">Chicago<\/a> &mdash; she alone could keep all the money former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden<\/a> had raised and direct its spending &mdash;&nbsp;but it&rsquo;s now obvious other anti-Trump contenders would have been fine financially.<\/p>\n<p>There is also history. Democrats haven&rsquo;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 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/al-gore\/\">Al Gore<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hillary-clinton\/\">Hillary Clinton<\/a>, who didn&rsquo;t run again but weren&rsquo;t exactly encouraged to either.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Like Harris, Clinton and Gore both lost their first campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination. But Clinton ran a highly competitive campaign against <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/barack-obama\/\">Barack Obama<\/a>, the eventual nominee and winner of the 2008 presidential election. Harris didn&rsquo;t quite make it to 2019 and dropped out before the first primary or caucus was held.<\/p>\n<p>A fellow Californian, Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\">Gavin Newsom<\/a> (D-CA), has arguably surpassed her as the 2028 Democratic front-runner. The polls vary. A survey conducted for the <em>Daily Mail <\/em>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 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/epolls\/2028\/president\/us\/2028_democratic_presidential_nomination-8748.html\"><em>RealClearPolitics <\/em>polling average<\/a>. And Newsom&rsquo;s win on the California redistricting ballot initiative will provide material support for the Democrats&rsquo; efforts to retake the House in the 2026 elections.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/epolls\/2028\/president\/us\/2028_democratic_presidential_nomination-8748.html\"><strong>TRUMP&rsquo;S AFFORDABILITY CONUNDRUM<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Harris must win 2026 to salvage 2028 bid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2527242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/k-harris.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[42974,32438,69789],"class_list":["post-2527241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-2026-elections","tag-kamala-harris","tag-presidential-ambitions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/k-harris.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2527241"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2527245,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527241\/revisions\/2527245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2527242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2527241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2527241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2527241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}