Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville had blunt advice Thursday for former Vice President Kamala Harris and her political allies: the Democratic Party wants nothing to do with them in 2028.
Since the 2024 election, Democrats have had a strained relationship with both former President Joe Biden and Harris, who have remained in the public eye despite many in the party wishing they would quietly step aside.
Harris recently announced she would not run for California governor — a decision that has fueled speculation she is keeping her options open for another presidential run in 2028. But on his Politics War Room podcast, Carville dismissed any fears that Democrats would rally behind her again.
“Don’t be terrified,” Carville told one concerned listener. “She wisely chose not to run for governor of California.”
Carville said flatly that Harris will not be the Democratic Party nominee in 2028.
“Anybody that had anything to do with 2024, the party wants to move on from that,” he said. “This isn’t anybody’s fault.”
“This goes to Walz, too. I wouldn’t run again,” Carville said. “If I were your friend, if I were your chief advisor, I’m doing this not from a personal standpoint, but because this is not going to be the environment where Democrats look to anybody connected to the 2024 campaign.”
Carville’s co-host, Al Hunt, aimed his own parting shot at Biden: “Joe Biden, would you please go take the restful retirement you so richly deserve?”
Several top Democrats, such as Harris, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, are all expected to run for president in 2028.
But one young, up-and-coming figure says he is not planning to jump into the race, CNN noted.
Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore says he will not run for president in 2028, despite being frequently touted among Democrats as a prospective presidential contender.
That hasn’t prevented continuous speculation about his future political aspirations, especially since he continues to make engagements outside of Maryland, which boost his national image. On Friday, he will fly to South Carolina, an early presidential primary state, to speak at the Blue Palmetto Dinner.
When questioned about 2028, the governor was straightforward.
“I’m not running,” Moore told The Associated Press in an interview. He also said, when asked, that he isn’t trying to get his name in the conversation for a potential vice presidential candidacy, either.
Moore downplayed his high-profile trips to battleground states, including a recent trip to South Carolina.
“And people should get very used to me going all over the country bringing business back to Maryland, because that’s exactly what I plan on doing as long as I’m the governor of the state,” Moore said after a dedication in Annapolis for a memorial to former Rep. Parren Mitchell.
Moore, who is in the third year of his first term, expects to compete for reelection in predominantly Democratic Maryland next year. He said becoming the state’s governor during a difficult period requires his whole attention.
Another name continues to be floated as making early moves before 2028: Pete Buttigieg.
Buttigieg continues to force his way into the digital media sphere, defying traditional Democratic standards as talk of a presidential run grows.
Buttigieg spoke with the Washington Examiner about his views on new media, how to engage people who do not identify with established parties, the current political landscape, and what he is doing to assure the success of his party after leaving the Biden administration.
“I’m using my voice best I can in traditional media and new media, and I’m going to continue having conversations with neighbors, with voters, talking about how we could have a better way,” Buttigieg told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t know what that means for me, politically or professionally, a long way from making any decisions about that, but I know that’s what I need to be doing right now.”