Former Vice President Kamala Harris shrugged off calls from red-state Democrats for the former presidential candidate to stay away from their races, saying that she supports “them in doing whatever they need to do to win.”
In a phone interview on Thursday with MS Now, Harris responded to POLITICO reporting that some red-and-purple-state Democrats were actively distancing themselves from the former presidential candidate as the Democratic Party brand remains sour in more rural parts of the country.
“Bottom line: We need to win. I have run locally. I’ve run for statewide office, and obviously nationally, and these candidates know what they need to do to win,” Harris said. “So, I support them in doing whatever they need to do to win.”
In recent days, both top Democratic candidates in Iowa said that they do not want her in the Hawkeye State campaigning for them, and a spokesperson for Mary Peltola, a former House Democrat running for Senate in Alaska, said she “isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48” after Harris’ team sent a fundraising email on their behalf late last month. Adam Hamilton, Kansas’ Democratic Senate nominee, and Rebecca Cooke, who is running to unseat GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden in western Wisconsin, added their voices to the same chorus, telling POLITICO that they’re not seeking Harris’ support in their races.
“I look forward to being on the trail and helping folks where I can be helpful, but we have got to put a check on this lawless administration and deliver what Americans need and deserve,” Harris added.
Her remarks are in line with what the former vice president’s office told POLITICO when asked about the growing red-state calls to keep Harris away. “It’s all good,” Eduardo Negrón, a spokesperson for Harris, said in part in a statement.
The former vice president has been slowly ramping up her involvement in the 2026 midterms after a relatively quiet primary season, most recently backing Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in his bid for Senate, along with a handful of House candidates. She’s expected to get more involved as the midterm election draws closer: Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford’s campaign confirmed that Harris is set to appear with him on the campaign trail next month, POLITICO first reported.
Her involvement in the midterms comes as other prospective 2028 presidential candidates have tested their political clout in battlegrounds across the country. Harris herself has publicly signaled that she is considering a third run for the White House, but told MS Now that her focus remains on the election later this year.
“I’m focused on ‘26,” Harris said. “And to be very serious about this: ‘28 doesn’t matter if we don’t win ‘26.”
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