Former Vice President Kamala Harris is back in the spotlight as the 2026 midterms approach. In the past week she has campaigned in Michigan and California, stirred controversy over media access at a Sacramento event, and kept the door open to a 2028 presidential run — even as some Democratic senators declined to rally behind her and several swing-state candidates kept their distance. Meanwhile her memoir "107 Days" continues to shape the conversation around her political future.
Table of Contents
- Latest Developments (Updated October 5, 2026)
- The 2026 Midterm Campaign Swing
- Democrats Keeping Their Distance
- The 2028 Question
- "107 Days": The Memoir That Keeps Her in the News
- What Comes Next
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
- Read Next on Chronicle
Latest Developments (Updated October 5, 2026)
Democratic senators dodge backing a 2028 Harris run. Asked by Fox News Digital about the prospect of Harris running for the White House again in 2028, several Democratic senators declined to commit. "Well, I've backed her before, but there'll be other contenders this time," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said. "I've made no decisions about who I would support." Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) predicted a crowded field: "I think we're going to have a very, very, very messy and very big primary. It's going to be every Tom, Dick and Harry. And that's probably where it should be." Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said the question should wait until after the midterms, while Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) said the party's focus is entirely on 2026, according to Fox News.
Harris warns "'28 won't matter" without 2026. Campaigning in Detroit alongside Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, Harris was asked whether she will run in 2028. She said she had not decided and urged Democrats to focus on the midterms, warning that "2028 won't matter" without success in November, per Fox News.
Media access controversy in Sacramento. On Friday, October 2, Harris campaigned in Sacramento for Democratic congressional candidate Richard Pan, who is challenging Rep. Kevin Kiley in California's 6th District. Several journalists — including KCRA 3 — were excluded from the event at Pan's campaign headquarters. Harris's team and Pan's campaign each blamed the other for the decision, and the following day Pan declined to answer KCRA reporter Ashley Zavala's repeated questions about whether blocking media was appropriate, telling her only, "We had media there. I don't handle the details of the press. My staff does," according to Internews Cast. Other outlets, including two local TV stations, The Sacramento Bee, and the Los Angeles Times, were allowed to cover the event.
The 2026 Midterm Campaign Swing
Harris has returned to the campaign trail as a surrogate for select candidates — and one of her highest-profile stops is still ahead. She is set to keynote a Fulton County Democrats dinner and campaign with Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff at the end of October, capping a string of midterm appearances, CNN reported. Ossoff, running for a second term in one of the country's key Senate races, is taking a markedly different approach from other Democrats in tight contests who have declined Harris's help. "Senator Ossoff is grateful for Vice President Harris' help and support in his re-election campaign," his spokesperson told CNN.
Her other scheduled stops include two top House Democratic candidates in her home state of California — Marni von Wilpert, running in the San Diego-area 48th District being vacated by retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, and Richard Pan — plus Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a longtime ally running for governor, per CNN. In an interview on soccer star Megan Rapinoe's podcast, Harris framed her motivation plainly: "I don't know how to live and not serve. I just don't know a life without figuring out how I can help move the needle," adding that "midterms, midterms, midterms" are "full time occupying my thoughts, my mind and my work."
Democrats Keeping Their Distance
Not everyone on the Democratic ticket wants Harris on the trail. In Iowa, two of the state's most prominent Democratic nominees have publicly said they would rather campaign without her. Rob Sand, the Democratic nominee for governor, gave a blunt "No thanks" when Politico asked at the Iowa State Fair in late August whether he wanted Harris campaigning for him, adding: "Let's move on. We need some new leadership." Josh Turek, the Democratic Senate nominee in Iowa, answered a similar question with a smiling "No." Former Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, also moved to distance herself after Harris's political operation sent a fundraising appeal on her behalf, according to Dara Fresh News.
The pattern leaves Harris in an unusual position: still one of the most recognizable national figures in her party, but unwelcome in some of its most competitive races. One California political consultant told the New York Post her midterm stops are about "turnout, not persuasion," while warning that nationalizing congressional races around Harris gives vulnerable Democrats "a gift-wrapped attack ad" reminding voters of the Biden-Harris administration, per the New York Post.
The 2028 Question
Harris continues to leave the door open to another presidential run. In April 2026, while stopping in Columbia, South Carolina on her book tour, she reiterated that she is "thinking about" a third bid for the presidency, according to the Greenville Business Magazine. At the same event she attacked President Donald Trump's foreign policy, saying his tariff policies and war with Iran make America look "unreliable" and unfriendly toward its allies.
The senators' reluctance this week suggests the 2028 field is wide open. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) told Fox News Digital that "this is going to be a wide open primary, and again, that's democracy at its best," and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is also being mentioned as a potential contender, per Fox News.
"107 Days": The Memoir That Keeps Her in the News
Harris's political memoir "107 Days," released in September 2025, chronicles her abbreviated 2024 presidential campaign — the 107 days she had to run against Donald Trump after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, according to iHeart's K97. The book debuted as a #1 New York Times bestseller, stayed on the list for 10 consecutive weeks, and has sold more than 600,000 copies, per the Mississippi Free Press.
Her national book tour drew packed houses: 15 cities in the fall of 2025, including stops in Canada and London, followed by 18 additional appearances in 2026 after the first leg's events sold out, according to Mirror Indy. The memoir made headlines for Harris's new willingness to criticize Biden and for her account of choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, the Greenville Business Magazine reported.
What Comes Next
Harris's calendar will tell the story. Her late-October appearances with Ossoff in Georgia — a battleground she narrowly lost to Trump in 2024 — and with Ford in Nevada, an early primary state she courted even before becoming the 2024 nominee, will test how effectively she can energize the Democratic base while the party's sitting senators publicly keep their options open, per CNN. What she does after the midterms — and whether the "thinking about it" of April becomes a decision — is now one of the biggest open questions in American politics. For context on the race she's shaping, see US Midterms Enter Final Month.
Key Takeaways
- Democratic senators this week declined to back Kamala Harris for 2028; Sen. Slotkin predicted a "very, very, very messy and very big primary."
- Harris said in Detroit she has not decided on 2028 and warned Democrats that "'28 won't matter" without success in the 2026 midterms.
- A Sacramento campaign event with Richard Pan on October 2 was overshadowed by a media-access dispute, with KCRA 3 excluded and the two campaigns blaming each other.
- She is set to campaign with Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia at the end of October, while some swing-state Democrats — including Iowa's Rob Sand and Josh Turek — have said they don't want her help.
- Her memoir "107 Days" has sold more than 600,000 copies and spent 10 weeks as a #1 New York Times bestseller.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kamala Harris running for president in 2028?
She has not decided. In Detroit this week she said her decision remains open, and in April she said she was "thinking about" a third bid. She has repeatedly told Democrats to focus on the 2026 midterms first.
What is "107 Days" about?
It is Harris's memoir of her abbreviated 2024 presidential campaign — the 107 days between Joe Biden's withdrawal and Election Day. It covers her decision to choose Tim Walz as her running mate and offers new criticism of the Biden administration.
Why did some Democratic candidates decline her help?
Iowa nominees Rob Sand and Josh Turek, and Alaska's Mary Peltola, have kept their distance, with Sand saying "we need some new leadership." Some Democrats fear associating with Harris reminds voters of the 2024 loss; others, like Sen. Jon Ossoff, have welcomed her support.
Where is Kamala Harris campaigning next?
She is scheduled to keynote a Fulton County Democrats dinner and campaign with Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia at the end of October, and to stump for Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford in his governor's race.
What happened at the Sacramento event on October 2?
Harris campaigned with Democratic House candidate Richard Pan, but several journalists, including KCRA 3, were blocked from covering it. Harris's team and Pan's campaign blamed each other, and Pan declined to answer questions about the decision the next day.
Sources
- Fox News — October 4, 2026: "Dem senators dodge backing Kamala Harris in potential 2028 run: 'Very messy'."
- Internews Cast — October 4, 2026: "Media Reportedly Barred From Event With Kamala Harris and California Congressional Candidate."
- Dara Fresh News — October 2026: "Iowa Dems Don't Want Kamala Harris Near Their Campaigns."
- CNN — September 10, 2026: "Kamala Harris to campaign with Sen. Jon Ossoff as part of midterms swing."
- New York Post — September 10, 2026: "Kamala Harris faces first big test for presidential run as she explodes back on to political stage."
- Greenville Business Magazine — April 2026: "Former VP Kamala Harris 'thinking about' third bid for presidency as she stops in SC for book tour."
- Mirror Indy — December 2025: "Kamala Harris to stop in Indy on national book tour."
- Mississippi Free Press — December 2025: "Kamala Harris to Visit Jackson in Book Tour Stop."
- K97/iHeart — August 2025: "Kamala Harris Launches 15-City Book Tour For Her Memoir '107 Days'."
