DNC fundraiser deals major setback to Kamala Harris and Democrats seen as unrealistic

A key DNC fundraiser is calling out the ‘delusions’ of Democrats and Kamala Harris about the vice president taking another shot at running for office, including a 2028 White House bid.

Many have wondered where Harris goes from her defeat to Donald Trump, with some suggesting she either run for president again – where she leads early primary polling – or run to replace Gavin Newsom as governor of California.

Lindy Li, the woman’s chair of the Democrat National Committee, poured cold water on those possibilities Thursday.  

‘This is not what America wants,’ she said of Harris’ potential to run in the future. ‘November 5th was a decisive defeat for the Democratic Party.’

Li has called herself a ‘conservative Democrat’ and previously suggested that party leaders Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi wanted an open primary to replace Joe Biden rather than gifting Harris the nominee. 

She says that Harris suffered a ‘resounding defeat’ and any future run would be ‘indulging in delusions.’ 

‘We don’t want to be coconut-pilled,’ she said, referencing an infamous Harris quote.

‘We do not want Kamala Harris. We don’t want failed border policies,’ and I feel like I’m liberated, and I can finally tell the truth that the Democrats completely failed on the border,’ she told Fox News.

LI says she’s suffered abuse an ostracization from fellow Democrats over her criticism because she ‘dared to tell the truth,’ comparing the party to ‘a cult.’

‘I’m probably going to get canceled again for what I am about to say — men are men and women are women, and it’s an issue when men are trouncing women in women’s sports. This should not be a controversial take,’ she said.

She paraded her views as ‘common sense’ that the Democrats are far removed from in ‘their ivory towers.’

Li, who is a naturalized immigrant, said that Democrats must return to strong borders and ‘bread and butter issues.’

‘Just because you care about these issues doesn’t make you a sexist, racist,’ she said.

In response, outgoing DNC chair referred to Li as ‘narcissism incarnate’ and lying about her title with the organization.

‘On Election Day, she was anchored at the entrance of the Harris election night reception attempting to greet and take selfies with any and all notable Democrats. This is yet another desperate cry for attention,’ Harrison wrote on social media.

‘I also love how she gives herself all of these elaborate DNC titles … next, Queen Regnant of the DNC. Whatever she creates next… she should just add “former.”

‘Go get that contributor contract Lindy.’

Since Harris lost the election, Li has voiced her concern about the future of the party, and criticized Harris for her devastating loss against Trump.

‘It was just startling how there was no sense of responsibility. They essentially set $2 billion on fire in 100 days,’ she said. 

Li criticized Harris’ unchecked spending on the campaign trail, warning that Democratic donors were furious for some of the reports of mismanaged spending that turned political consultants into ‘multi-millionaires.’

‘There’s a lot of conflict of interest here. And we need a careful accounting and probably more granular than the FEC report would offer,’ she said. ‘Because if we don’t do that, how are voters and donors ever going to trust the Democratic Party again?’

Li also criticized Harris in November for failing to strike the right tone after the campaign in a call with donors.

She said she was ‘stunned’ there was no post-mortem or lessons learned, and spent more time ‘patting each other on the back,’ despite deep debts left over from the campaign.

‘I believe at one moment in the call she was talking about her Thanksgiving recipe … I think I was stunned to hear that, given just the extent and brutality of the loss.’ she said.

Harris lost big to Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, but if the 2028 election were to be held today, a significant margin of Democrats would vote for her again.

The vice president remains at the top of a list of Democratic potential candidates for 2028, according to a new poll, suggesting she still retains high name recognition and goodwill from the party.

Harris leads the potential field with 41 percent of the vote, according to a Puck News/Echelon Insights survey.

The rest of the pack combined – 13 Democratic politicians who all scored in the single digits – garnered 43 percent, with 16 percent of those surveyed saying they were ‘unsure’ to the question of who they would vote for if a party primary were held today. 

Harris’ ‘frenemy’ from California Gov. Gavin Newsom is at second place with just eight percent.

Since Harris lost the election, Newsom traveled to the White House to meet with President Joe Biden and pointedly vowed that the state of California would resist President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda.

But other Democratic governors remain in the early conversation of who could run in 2028.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro earned seven percent in the poll, a once-rumored vice presidential pick who was ultimately turned down by Harris as a running mate in favor of Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota who receives six percent in the poll.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also remains in the list of potential candidates as he sits at six percent.

Other possible candidates include Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with four percent and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer with three percent.

Candidates in the bottom tier include Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

Democratic senators in the conversation include Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock.