Kamala Harris calls herself a Dem leader as experts cite her fading influence

WASHINGTON, DC: Kamala Harris, who lost the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump, is working to assert her political relevance by promoting her new book and using it to deliver sharp political commentary. 

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal while promoting her new memoir '107 Days' in Philadelphia, the former vice president was asked if she still considered herself a top Democratic leader. “I was the Democratic nominee for president. I came close to winning. Of course I do,” Harris said

Though she declined to confirm whether the book tour marks the start of a 2028 White House bid, insiders told the outlet that the memoir underscores Harris’ faltering influence in the party.

Frustration grows among Democrats over Kamala Harris memoir

Several Democrats, including once-loyal supporters, said they are ready to move on from Harris. Others openly criticized her decision to publish a book that takes aim at Joe Biden and her potential running mates during the 2024 campaign.

In her account, Harris described Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as “overly ambitious” and labeled former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as politically “risky” to run alongside, citing both race and sexual orientation as factors.

Ashley Etienne, Harris’ former communications director, called the memoir a missed opportunity. “I would have advised her to write a different book, one that cements her legacy,” she said.

Critics say Kamala Harris shows weak conviction, poor clarity

Critics argue Harris’ candidacy has long lacked conviction and clarity. Faiz Shakir, who managed Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign, said the memoir validates those concerns.

“Her campaign struggled with being a campaign of conviction, of clarity, of deep, principled positions,” Shakir said. “It’s a sign of weak leadership to just start blaming outside actors for your own shortcomings. It hurts the Democratic Party.” 

Harris insisted her memoir is not a tell-all but “a journal of my experience running for president of the United States.”

Joe Biden’s decline shadows Kamala Harris account of campaign

One of Harris’ greatest vulnerabilities remains her silence as Joe Biden’s mental fitness allegedly declined during the campaign. In her book, she wrote that Biden “got tired,” but rejected suggestions of incapacity.

“If I believed that, I would have said so. As loyal as I am to President Biden, I am more loyal to my country,” she said.

Harris also stirred discontent among the far-left when she avoided naming socialist Zohran Mamdani in a recent MSNBC interview about the New York City mayoral race, instead saying she supported “the Democrat.” Later, she clarified, “No, I did endorse Mamdani.” When pressed on Democratic divisions, she insisted there is “a lot of consensus around the priorities of this moment, and that’s where I’m focused.”

Harris blames Trump victory on limited campaign timeline

Harris also said in earlier interviews that one of the biggest reasons she lost to Trump was the lack of time to mount a campaign.

“There are many factors, I think, that played into the outcome of that election,” Harris said during an appearance on 'The View' on Tuesday, September 23. “But I think probably one of the biggest, in my mind, is we just didn’t have enough time.”

Her memoir, '107 Days'—a reference to the length of her campaign after President Biden dropped out—details the difficulties of taking on a seasoned rival in such a short window.

"Biden decides not to run. The sitting vice president then takes the mantle, running against a former president of the United States who had been running for ten years, with '107 days' until the election,” Harris said.

She went on to call the 2024 race “the closest presidential race in the 21st century.”