Former Vice President Kamala Harris is returning to the political spotlight, urging Democrats to hold firm during the ongoing government shutdown while reigniting speculation about another run for the White House.
During a stop on her nationwide book tour promoting her campaign memoir, 107 Days, Harris told the Associated Press that she’s been in frequent contact with Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill, encouraging them to resist Republican pressure and demand action from President Donald Trump on rising Affordable Care Act premiums.
“The Republicans control the House. They control the Senate. They control the White House. They are in charge, and they are responsible for the shutdown,” she said, adding that Democrats “are doing the right thing by standing up for working people and not allowing the Republicans to carry a tax cut for the wealthiest people in our country on the backs of working people in America.”
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The 2024 Democratic nominee’s remarks came during a series of public appearances in Birmingham, Alabama, where she met with students from historically Black colleges, spoke with Charlamagne tha God at a sold-out Alabama Theatre event, and reflected on her political journey and the state of the nation. Throughout the day, Harris struck a balance between elder stateswoman and potential future candidate, blending introspection with urgency.
“We’ve got work to do,” she said repeatedly. “Keep fighting.”
While Harris, 60, has yet to announce plans for 2028, she made it clear she intends to remain an influential figure within the Democratic Party. “I am a leader of the party,” she told the AP, emphasizing her role in preparing Democrats for the 2026 midterms. Her team confirmed she will assist gubernatorial candidates Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia through fundraising and virtual events, while also campaigning for California’s Proposition 50, a ballot measure aimed at countering Republican-led gerrymandering.
Harris also reflected on lessons from her 2024 campaign, arguing that economic anxieties, rather than culture wars, defined the last election. “There are a fair number of people who voted for Donald Trump because they believed what he said, which is that he was going to bring down prices,” she said. “Sadly, he lied to them.”
While she praised the Biden administration’s legislative achievements, Harris said Democrats must sharpen their focus on household economics, from child tax credits to first-time homebuyer programs, to better address “the immediate needs of the American people.”
In Birmingham, Harris spoke passionately about voting rights, warning that current Supreme Court deliberations could erode Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a key protection for minority voters. “How can we say at this moment in time that the Voting Rights Act and Section 2 has no purpose?” she asked.
Her words carried weight in Alabama, a state central to the civil rights struggle and to the very history of the Voting Rights Act itself.
Harris also pushed back against the idea of “low-information voters,” blaming widespread misinformation for voter disengagement. “They deserve to be heard,” she said, calling on Democrats to reach across ideological divides rather than dismiss dissenting voices.
She further expressed concern over the tone of Trump’s rhetoric on immigration, calling it divisive but stopping short of labeling his administration’s actions as white nationalist.
When asked about her former running mate Joe Biden, who is currently undergoing prostate cancer treatment, Harris expressed admiration and care, disclosing: “He and I have been playing phone tag actually in the last couple of days. I’d invite everyone to say a prayer if that’s what you do for his well-being and health right now.”
