As the midterm elections approach, a growing number of Democratic candidates are reportedly wrestling with a delicate political question: how close should they get to former Vice President Kamala Harris? According to a report from The Hill, many of those candidates have welcomed her support in the past, but some now view her as a political liability following her 2024 loss to President Donald Trump.
The report, published Saturday, highlights a noticeable shift in Democratic strategy, with several candidates and at least one major donor suggesting that Harris could do more harm than good on the campaign trail.
Iowa Democrats Keep Their Distance
In Iowa, state Rep. Josh Turek, a Democrat running for a Senate seat this cycle, told reporters this week that he did not want Harris to campaign for him. Turek’s sentiment was echoed by Rob Sand, the state’s auditor and a candidate for governor, who also expressed reluctance about appearing alongside Harris or former President Joe Biden.
The hesitation is not limited to Iowa. In Alaska, former Rep. Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign reportedly voiced frustration after Harris’s political action committee issued a fundraising email on behalf of the red-state Democrat earlier this month. The move tied Peltola to Harris at a time when she is trying to appeal to a broad electorate in a state that Trump won decisively in 2024.
Megadonor Warns of ‘Huge Liability’
The Hill also pointed to Democrats in Michigan, where the Senate race is heating up, with some party operatives believing that Harris could hurt their chances. The broader concern was crystallized by Democrat megadonor John Morgan, who told the outlet, “She is a huge liability.” Morgan advised that candidates with a realistic shot at winning should stay far away from Harris.
“Look what happened in Alaska,” Morgan said, referring to Harris’s PAC appeal on behalf of Peltola and how Republicans quickly used it to tie the candidate to the former vice president.
The Alaska episode has become a cautionary tale for Democratic strategists, illustrating how Harris’s presence—even in the form of a fundraising email—can be weaponized by the GOP to energize opposition.
Potential 2028 Run Looms
Despite the hesitation among current candidates, Harris has not ruled out another bid for the White House. Reports indicate that she has been privately contacting progressive Democrats, pro-Palestinian activists, former aides, and other party figures as she weighs a potential 2028 presidential run, according to Breitbart News.
A poll conducted in June showed Harris dominating among potential Democratic candidates for 2028, while Vice President JD Vance led on the Republican side. That level of support within her party’s base, however, does not necessarily translate into enthusiasm among swing-state voters or candidates in competitive races.
Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) told Breitbart News Saturday in April that the prospect of Harris running again in 2028 might actually “help” Republicans before the midterms, “because it reminds the people of what they rejected in 2024.”
Navigating a Tricky Political Terrain
For Democrats, the challenge is balancing Harris’s appeal with the party’s progressive base against her unpopularity in key battleground states. Candidates in red or purple districts are particularly sensitive to being associated with a figure who lost to Trump by a significant margin.
The report from The Hill suggests that the party’s internal debate over Harris is likely to intensify as the midterms draw closer. While no candidate has openly disavowed her, the behind-the-scenes maneuvering reflects a broader unease about her electoral viability.
Harris’s office has not publicly commented on the report. The Hill’s findings come amid a broader Republican strategy to tie Democratic candidates to Harris, using her as a foil in campaign ads and fundraising appeals.
For now, many Democrats appear to be adopting a cautious approach: quietly accepting Harris’s support in private, but keeping her out of the spotlight in public. Whether that strategy will prove effective remains to be seen, but it highlights the delicate balance party leaders must strike in a politically polarized environment.
As one Democratic strategist put it, the goal is to win elections, and sometimes that means distancing oneself from even the most prominent figures in the party. The coming months will reveal whether that calculus pays off.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/29/report-democrat-candidates-avoid-kamala-harris-as-midterms-loom-she-is-a-huge-liability/