A former Biden administration aide said Tuesday he doesn’t believe former Vice President Kamala Harris would have much of a chance at winning the White House in 2028 if she runs again.
During an interview on Fox News’s “America Reports,” Michael LaRosa, former first lady Jill Biden’s press secretary, told host Gillian Turner that voters “are not going to give Kamala Harris a third at-bat.”
The conversation started because of a New York Magazine article, which identified Harris as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
Minyon Moore, a Democratic strategist, said to the outlet, “She’s been listening to the American people and really trying to figure out what’s impacting them and how she can be of service to them.”
LaRosa pushed back on this directly, arguing that Harris has decades of political experience and needs to instead “start leading.” He added that voters want a new presidential candidate.
“She follows. She doesn’t take risks. She calculates. She doesn’t answer questions, she equivocates. She’s got to get over that if she wants to make a connection with people, but I don’t think she’s going to get a third at-bat,” LaRosa said.
LaRosa offered his own choices that meet his qualifications when asked by Turner.
“I want somebody who can run the country. I want somebody who is competent. I love Rahm Emanuel, Gavin Newsom. I like Pete Buttigieg,” he said.
Newsom has not committed to running, saying on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” earlier this year that he needs to make the choice with his family.
LaRosa, currently a communications strategist, said his preferred 2028 candidates are not limited to those three but that he wishes for a candidate who will lead rather than follow the wave.
Harris’s office did not respond immediately to a request for comment from The Hill regarding LaRosa’s remarks.
Hellbound and Down 