What Kamala Harris can learn from John Kerry

Politico

9 hours ago

HISTORY LESSON — A failed Democratic presidential nominee who's thinking about running again. A party that isn't thrilled about the prospect of a repeat bid.
It sounds a lot like the situation currently facing Kamala Harris, but it's actually the dilemma that confronted Democrat John Kerry after his 2004 presidential defeat. And for Harris, what came next for Kerry could prove instructive as she weighs her options ahead of 2028.
Back then, Democrats were reeling after George W. Bush's election to a second term. Many in the party expected the race was theirs for the taking; in the end, Bush won both a majority of the popular vote and the Electoral College.
Kerry, however, kept the door open to a second White House bid long after Bush's victory. It wasn't until Jan. 2007 that Kerry announced he would not make a second run. While his experience offers a roadmap for Harris, it's also a cautionary tale about the hurdles facing failed candidates.
For much of the two years before the 2006 midterms, Kerry actively campaigned across the country like a potential presidential candidate. He gave a formal speech on patriotism at Grinnell College, the elite liberal arts institution in Iowa, and was the guest of honor at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in 2006. And all throughout, he stumped for candidates in swing races across the country in places from rural Iowa to south Florida.
Yet what doomed Kerry was the first time he put his foot in his mouth. Speaking to students on the eve of the midterms, Kerry said, 'Well, you know, if you make the most of it, and you study hard, and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you — you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.'
Critics immediately seized on the remark as an insult to the troops, and candidates in both parties called on him to apologize. His aides insisted that it was a botched joke about George W. Bush and that he meant to say 'you get us stuck in Iraq.'
It didn't matter. Coming only days before the midterms, Democrats panicked as Republicans raced to condemn the former presidential nominee. Kerry was abruptly dropped from an event in Iowa where he was scheduled to appear with Bruce Braley, a Democrat running in a swing district and canceled other campaign trips as well. It was a fresh reminder of Kerry and his various blunders on the 2004 campaign trail, but also a sign of how little room for error he had within his own party after losing to Bush.
Harris is in a far stronger position than Kerry ever was. The former vice president consistently leads Democratic polls in advance of the 2028 primary — Kerry, on the other hand, lagged behind Hillary Clinton in public polls. And Harris isn't held entirely culpable for the party's 2024 defeat — an abbreviated campaign marked by Joe Biden's abrupt, mid-campaign decision to bow out — the same way that Kerry was held responsible for blowing a lead against Bush.
However, Harris has been far less visible so far than Kerry at a similar point. Part of that is simply a function of the fact that Harris is no longer in public life — she announced recently she would not run for California governor in 2026 — while Kerry remained in the Senate.
But the Massachusetts Democrat also kept a far more active schedule than Harris did after his loss — within five weeks of his general election loss, Kerry had already returned to both Iowa and New Hampshire to thank supporters who had backed him in his primary campaign.
All of that could change with Harris' coming book tour. The book, titled '107 Days,' is set to release Sept. 23. Even if she isn't campaigning with state Senate candidates in the suburbs of Webster City, Iowa, Harris is still likely to get more than sufficient eyeballs on the late night talk show circuit.
The return to the spotlight risks opening up all the old wounds. It's hard to dodge questions about past decisions when promoting a book that is intended to be a chronicle of her 107-day presidential campaign.
Hillary Clinton utilized a simple yet very effective putdown of Kerry after his 2006 gaffe.
'No one wants to have the 2004 election replayed,' she said, prompting bad memories among Democrats about the devastating loss two years earlier.
For Harris, that will be the first challenge if she wants to mount a presidential bid — erasing fears that her nomination would look like a re-run.
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Jacqueline Munis contributed to this newsletter.
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