General Discussion

Early polling suggests Democrats want to see Harris back in the running for the Oval Office in 2028, despite her defeat this cycle. But some in the party speculate the vice president could seek another office — for starters, the governor’s mansion in California — or pursue avenues outside electoral politics to help bolster the resistance against a second Trump term.

“She still has a long career ahead of her,” said Democratic strategist Kate Maeder. “She’s young for politics in this country, and I think that folks are really excited to see what she does next, because she’s built such a powerful following around her, and I think that that will carry through after the election.”

Harris is among a small handful of vice presidents in recent history who tried for the presidency and lost, and each took different paths in the aftermath, noted Joel Goldstein, a professor emeritus at Saint Louis University’s law school and an expert on the vice presidency. Richard Nixon mounted an unsuccessful bid for California governor before his comeback White House win in 1968, and Hubert Humphrey returned to the Senate. Al Gore never ran for political office again, focusing on environmental activism and earning the Nobel Peace Prize.

“So there’s a lot of different options available to her,” Goldstein said. “I would think that if she wants to remain active in presidential politics, that that’s certainly something that’s open to her … if that’s the course she wanted.”