When Rev. Al Sharpton put the question directly to Kamala Harris at the National Action Network convention in New York City on April 1, the former vice president didn’t dance around her answer. “Listen, I might. I might. I’m thinking about it,” she told the crowd, addressing whether she would seek the presidency in 2028.
The reception Harris received at the Manhattan ballroom event stood in sharp contrast to the welcome given to other Democratic hopefuls. Chants of “Run again!” erupted as she took the stage, and she earned the loudest cheers of any potential 2028 contender who appeared at the conference.
Very early polling of a potential 2028 presidential race shows Harris at the top of the Democratic field nationally. A March 2026 Center Square poll of Democrats and left-leaning independents put her at 31 percent, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom second at 16 percent. However, a Berkeley IGS/LA Times poll found Harris in fourth place among California Democrats at just 9 percent, trailing Newsom (28 percent), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (14 percent), and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (11 percent) — a notable weakness given that California is her political home state. Analysts note her national lead partly reflects higher name recognition compared to other potential candidates.
Harris made her case by highlighting her executive branch experience. She went on to detail her qualifications: her four years a heartbeat from the presidency, countless hours in the West Wing and Situation Room. “I know what the job is, and I know what it requires,” she said.
The Democrats’ next presidential primary season won’t begin in earnest until after November’s midterm elections, but this week’s conference showcased party leaders already jockeying for position in what promises to be a crowded competition. The convention featured a parade of potential 2028 candidates, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, California Representative Ro Khanna, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Representative Ayanna Pressley.
Buttigieg spoke shortly after Harris left the stage and received soft applause from about a half-full room. Many attendees streamed out of the packed auditorium after Harris’s speech to grab selfies with the former vice president, leaving other candidates to address diminished crowds.
Harris’s announcement represented her most definitive statement to date regarding another White House bid. In October 2025, she told the BBC she would “possibly” run for president in the future, but Friday’s comments left little doubt about her intentions. She has been traveling across the United States to support Democrats, particularly throughout the South.
During her appearance, Harris didn’t shy away from attacking President Trump’s foreign policy. She criticized his “America First” approach, arguing that it withdraws from international relationships and connections. Harris also called the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran a “war of choice,” blaming Trump for starting an unnecessary conflict and for alienating long-standing U.S. allies. Then she adopted what she described as a mob boss persona: “So, then he’s kind of like, ‘Oh, well, you know, you take Eastern Europe, and I’ll take the Western Hemisphere.'”
The mimicry prompted swift criticism online. “Add ‘mafia boss’ to Kamala Harris’ list of embarrassing accents,” a Republican campaign account wrote. Harris, who was born in Oakland and grew up in Berkeley, California, sometimes adopted a southern accent while campaigning in 2024, drawing mockery from conservatives.
Despite the enthusiasm at Sharpton’s conference, some Democratic operatives and donors privately express skepticism about another Harris campaign. Party insiders worry that her ties to the Biden administration could undermine Democrats’ need for a fresh direction after losing the White House. Harris previously dropped out of the 2020 presidential race before the start of the primary calendar and was later picked as Biden’s vice presidential nominee.
Sharpton praised Harris’s historic achievements, noting she was the first Black and South Asian woman to receive a major party nomination in U.S. history. He also pointed out that Harris received approximately 75 million votes in 2024, more than former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton earned in their winning campaigns.
Harris also urged Black voters to be “transactional” with their votes in 2028, telling the audience to expect something in return for their support and to make clear demands of candidates seeking their votes.
Harris lost the 2024 presidential election to President Donald Trump, who secured 312 Electoral College votes compared to her 226, after President Joe Biden stepped aside under heavy pressure from party leaders and endorsed her. The nation’s first Black female vice president and the Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee received a hero’s welcome at the Manhattan ballroom event.
While Harris dominated the stage, her appearance also highlighted deep divisions within the Democratic Party about its path forward.
On April 1, the former vice president sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party by publicly considering a 2028 White House campaign at the National Action Network convention in New York City. For now, Harris told supporters she’s weighing her decision carefully, considering who can best serve the American people. “I’ll keep you posted,” she said, leaving the door wide open for another run at the nation’s highest office.
