Of all the advantages President Donald Trump has enjoyed in his three presidential campaigns, none has been as great as the considerably low quality of his competition. Since Barack Obama left office, the Democratic Party has trotted out Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris as nominees.
It’s almost certain that Clinton would have lost to any candidate the GOP threw at her, and 2020 was a perfect storm of the Democrat Party and national media operating at unprecedented levels in throwing their weight behind their candidate, paired with Trump’s COVID albatross.
In 2024, Trump returned to face Kamala Harris. It quickly became evident that Harris was out of her depth in anything related to campaigning. Her ability to answer questions like a seven-year-old was staggering, and voters saw President Trump, enjoying a rare surge of positive publicity, as the more electable candidate.
Fast-forward two years later, and somehow Harris is still a major figure in the Democrat Party. Not only that, but she’s in contention for the Democrat nomination in 2028. Will she win the nomination? My guess is no, but by default, she will still have a fighting chance.
Harris may be gearing up for a third attempt at the presidency. She is hitting the campaign trail and has found a home with Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.
Why did I use the words “found a home”?
In short, most Democrat nominees don’t want to be associated with her in any way, and I don’t blame them. Iowa gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand gave Harris a simple “No thanks,” while Kansas Senate nominee Adam Hamilton is aiming for voters whose “worldview may be a bit different than Kamala Harris.” She has seen similar rejections in Texas and Arizona. Even in her home state of California, only 28% of voters are excited for a Harris 2028 run.
Abdul El-Sayed might be one of the few candidates who could reasonably justify bringing someone along like Harris. He’s such an extreme leftist on his own that Harris wouldn’t be unpalatable for his supporters, and he particularly lacks black support in the tight Michigan race. On paper, Harris, who is famous for changing her accent around different ethnicities, should be able to help with that.
El-Sayed might be a little disappointed in that regard.
At a campaign event featuring Harris and El-Sayed, it was clear that the former vice president hasn’t improved on her public speaking abilities one bit. El-Sayed looked like he was in visible pain as Harris rambled about black maternal healthcare. Even he, who is seen by many as a glorified activist with little experience in the political world, can see how poor a politician Harris really is. Democrat leaders don’t like her for a reason, and Abdul El-Sayed learned it the hard way.
Kamala Harris may help Abdul El-Sayed make small gains in Michigan, but she’s more likely to alienate the voters El-Sayed needs on his side. That simply reflects the former veep’s campaign abilities.
It is certainly possible to cultivate political skills regardless of your platform. Zohran Mamdani, for example, has a horrible platform but good political chops. Kamala Harris has had the opposite effect. She has spent her career leaching off of more capable people. On her own, she has been the Democrats’ ball and chain that has dragged the party down.
Looking ahead to this midterm and the presidential election to follow, I can only hope that Harris throws everything she has toward these midterm campaigns and then eventually, toward her own campaign in two years. In this age, where the GOP’s chances for the next election cycle aren’t looking so bright, it might require one more poor Democrat candidate like Kamala Harris to give the Republicans the victory.
