The future of former Vice President Kamala Harris remains uncertain months after her election defeat to now-President Donald Trump.
As she contemplates her next steps, Harris has been consulting with family and close confidants, including Hillary Clinton—the only other person to have faced a similar post-election scenario. According to New York Magazine, the two have reportedly spoken several times since Harris’s loss.
Speculation about Harris’s political future is growing. Some believe she may pursue a gubernatorial run in California next year, as her close ally, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, is term-limited and cannot seek re-election.
Others suggest she remains focused on the presidency and may launch another campaign. Shortly after the election, Harris reportedly advised her team not to rule out plans for a potential 2028 presidential bid, the outletreported.
The former vice president has not explicitly discussed her future plans but has hinted that her political career is far from over. Last week, just days before the end of her tenure as then-President Joe Biden’s VP, Harris participated in the longstanding tradition of signing her desk drawer while addressing a room of staff. During her brief remarks, Harris declared that she would not “go quietly into the night,” emphasizing that “our work is not done.”
Her remarks to staff mirrored those she made in her concession speech, telling supporters: “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
Following her unsuccessful 2020 presidential bid, Kamala Harris was given a clear political path as Joe Biden’s running mate. Initially, Biden hinted that he might serve only one term, but he surprised many by announcing his re-election campaign in April 2023.
However, after a disastrous debate that underscored persistent challenges, Biden made the historic decision to withdraw from the race in July 2024. This decision came just a week after a gunman nearly assassinated Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.
Shortly after exiting the race, Biden endorsed Harris, elevating her to the top of the ticket. While some viewed this move as a natural progression, others believed it undermined her prospects, perceiving her nomination as a coronation rather than a competitive selection—a sharp contrast to the Democrats’ “save democracy” messaging.
Harris and Clinton share more than just election losses. Both had strong support from a long list of Hollywood A-listers, whose endorsements ultimately fell short. Not even Taylor Swift could make the “Harris Era” a reality.
“The outcome of this election is not what we hoped, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” Harris said in her concession speech. “But hear when I say … the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
Meanwhile, Trump is challenging the radical left “climate” agenda of Biden and Harris by implementing a series of executive orders that aim to increase domestic fossil fuel energy production.
The series of orders also contain a declaration of an “energy emergency,” which should protect the administration from some, but not all, legal actions aimed at stopping new drilling and other energy-related production.
“The breadth of the decisions may well be the most dramatic shift in U.S. energy policy since the response to the ban on oil exports from Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in 1973,”
Trump’s “energy emergency” plan emphasizes support for mining critical minerals essential for national security, emergency approvals for energy resources on public lands, and streamlining the development of energy infrastructure.
In a separate executive order, Trump outlined guidelines for the development of energy resources in Alaska, the outlet said, adding that many orders are likely to face lawsuits from Democrat governors and left-wing environmental groups.
