What is kamala Harris upto , post 2024 presidential loss ? Lecture tours, launch a foundation or a gubernatorial term in home stqte California or another presidential run in 2028?

What is Kamala Harris up to, is she running for California governorship or making a 2nd bid at the presidency as Nixon did after being defeated by John F Kennedy?  

By TN Ashok.      Washington, Nov 29, 2024

  I have often wondered what do mighty politicians do after a stunning reverse in the elections. Where you were billed to win but actually lost by an overwhelming margin. After occupying a high position for four years as Vice President and being party to and privy to pathbreaking and world changing decisions. Th vacuum a politician feels after wielding power and one fine morning going with out it...poof, it all gone. I do not mean one slips into relative obscurity after obdurate fame.

The enthusiams that welled at the DNC and the manner in which she over too the favourte. And a week before the elections it wwas all eroding, Kamala Harris ,incumbent VP,lost all he goodwill and love and adoration of the people at the DNC and found herself completly blindsided and outflanked by her fierce opponent Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential elections. 

Her concession s[eech was brilliant – mark the words – i concede but i dont concede the issues that fuelled my campaing and the race to presidency. 

Age is Kamala Harris side. She is 60 now and would be 64 in 2028, like Nixon sdhe can tke a shot at the presidency. But is America ready for a woman presidet, its mosogynistic society. They consider women as being vulnerable in high executive positions. VP and thats it and no higher than that. 

White women who supported on her restoration of abortion rights confessed that her vulnerability as a wome to being arm twisted by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, the new axis powers of a new cold war, was much more concerning than restoration of abortion rights. Many have wondered if the Me2 movement of women that started with Bill Clinton’s sexual escapades and continued to Donald Trump was now self-defeating. 

Chart Shows Net Worth Of U.S. Presidents Before And & After Presidency

Net Worth Before Presidency (in millions, $)

Net Worth After Presidency (in millions, $)

Source: Cheapism, Wealth Gang

Harris has not been unsuccessful in her bid to become the next president in 2025, but, he will be out of political office for the 1st time since 2004. and come January 20, 2025 she will be out of political office for the first time since 2004. 

Harris has served as San Francisco District Attorney, California's Attorney General and the Golden State's junior senator, before being elected vice president in 2020, scoring a number of historic firsts along the way: first woman, African American and Indian American in either of the former two offices and the latter. She was also the first Indian American senator. 

When President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance enter the White House early next year, Harris' 20 year run of uninterrupted public service will be broken- but that doesn't mean she won't return to the political scene in the future. In her concession speech on November 6, Harris said, "I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign—the fight: the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up." 

With that in mind, Newsweek took a look at the Democrat's potential next moves. 

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally on November 04, 2024 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Harris will have to vacate the White House in January 2025. Getty Images 

Will she Run for President Again? 

It's a bold choice, but it worked for Trump. Names for the top of the Democratic ticket in 2028 are already being thrown around, and while Harris may appear to be damaged goods at the moment, four years is a long time to improve public opinion. And final projected results in some of 2024's crucial swing states look very close: Trump won by 0.9 percentage points in Wisconsin, 1.4 in Michigan and two points in Pennsylvania, according to the Associated Press. 

By the end of his second term, Trump will no longer be eligible to run for president, having exhausted the two-term limit in office, meaning both the Democratic and Republican nominees will be someone who hasn't been president yet (assuming President Joe Biden doesn't make a surprise comeback). Thats very doubtful, considering he will be 86. His health would deteriorate both physically and mentally, meaning cognitive functions would show a definitive decline. But India’s Morarji Desai of the janata party a precursor to the ruling BJP elite now, was 86 when he became Prime Minister, of course, he was in much better health physically and mental agility and acuity than Biden.  

Rerunning for office repeatedly worked for Biden, who took two unsuccessful shots at the presidency before he was finally elected, and it has also demonstrably worked for Trump himself. If Harris is confident in her ability to lead, another attempt to win the White House could be on the cards next cycle. But she needs to rebrand herself. She has to show she is a better and truer messiah of the middle class, the backbone of America, and restore the traditional voting blocks of the democrats.

 She has to show that she is better at understanding the middle-class woes, can slash the prices of groceries substantially bringing the kitchen table closer to families, reduce gas prices, instance herself from Biden on foreign policy on both Ukraine and Israel funding to win back southern voters and the traditional Arab and Palestinian voters. Hike wages of blue-collar workers which Trump is not going to do, his policies will only elevate the rich further, so she has to capitalize on Trumps failures with the middle class, Look We Told You We Can Look After Your Better than that Elephant in the room. That could work for her. 

But she faces two very strong contenders in the primaries: Hakim Jefferies, house minority leader and Gavin Newsom, the charismatic white male handsome all american boy from her home state California. 

  

Run for Governor 

If four years is too long to wait, an opportunity for leadership could come up sooner a little closer to home. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is one of the names being mentioned for the Democrats' 2028 presidential nomination, is retiring at the end of his term in 2026, as California state law has a two-term limit on the governorship. This means that the Democratic primary for the gubernatorial election will be widely contested, and Harris' high name recognition, fundraising power and California credentials would make her a strong contender if she wanted to enter the race to lead her home state. 

As one of the bluest states in the U.S., the winner of the Democratic primary is widely expected to win the general election there. It could be launching platform for her presidency at a 2nd shot given the strong latino vote bank which went against her in 2024.She could reverse the trend as California governor.

Start a Foundation … 

While starting a charity or organization is usually reserved for former presidents, there's nothing stopping Harris from forming her own foundation to tackle the issues she has campaigned on. 

Foundations have been a reliable way for retired commanders-in-chief to stay relevant. Despite a lackluster presidency, former President Jimmy Carter's foundation, which provides international aid across a wide range of policy areas, has drastically improved Carter's public image since his single term in office. He is 92 today and is in an old age home of assisted living.

As leaders of the world’s most powerful nation, U.S. presidents are expected to have a broad understanding of global issues. After leaving office, many former presidents continue to make positive changes in the world. Here are five examples of recent U.S. presidents who use their influence and recognizable names to help the international community.

1. The Carter Center/Habitat for Humanity: The Carters founded the Carter Center, which has operated in more than 80 countries. It helps resettle refugees throughout Africa, fights the spread of malaria in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and recently launched an initiative to improve China’s presence in Africa.
2. Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute: Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) founded many initiatives in favor of peace and diplomacy. One of these is the Reagan Institute Strategy Group, which believes America is “indispensable to preserving the free, open and peaceful political and economic system that provides the foundation for how countries interact.” The Strategy Group promotes America’s crucial role on the world stage and its ideals of freedom. To that end, it meets with foreign policy and national security leaders like the E.U. in dealing with Ukraine. The Westminster 2.0 Working Group also lobbies for America’s continued role as a global leader. Westminster 2.0 keeps America and its allies working with the latest modern technology and media. It also assists with efforts to give oppressed people in less democratic nations a voice.
3. George and Barbara Bush Endowment: Before entering the White House in 1989, George and Barbara Bush lost their 3-year-old daughter Robin to leukemia. Years later, the couple began an endowment to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. This endowment continues to this day, even after both of their deaths. The MD Anderson Cancer Center is the largest cancer research center in the U.S. and takes patients from around the world. Recently, MD Anderson started working in lower-income countries, which is necessary as cancer disproportionately affects the poor. It hopes to decrease global cancer through education and prevention and is delivering necessary cancer research to nations in Africa and Latin America.
4. Clinton Foundation: The Clinton Foundation, created at the end of Bill Clinton’s presidency in 2001, has become one of the largest presidential organizations. In 2005, the Foundation started the Clinton Global Initiative, which has worked in over 180 countries. In response to the effects of four devastating hurricanes, Bill Clinton devoted particular care to Haiti. The foundation doubled its efforts after the 2010 earthquake. In total, the Clinton Global Initiative has donated around $500 million to Haiti. More recently, the CGI began networking in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, following the 2017 hurricane season. So far, more than 700 organizations have joined in support. The Network continued its efforts after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
5. Obama Foundation: Despite getting out of the presidential office relatively recently, Barack Obama (2009-2017) has remained a global leader. With the Obama Foundation, work is being done for the next generation of leaders. The Scholars Initiative partners with the University of Chicago and Columbia University to fund global startups. Young minds from all over the globe have taken it to begin solutions to global problems. Michelle started the Girls Opportunity Alliance through the Obama Foundation. It looks to help the 98 million girls not in school get access to high-quality education worldwide. The Alliance provides a network for organizations that work in global female schooling.

 The Carter Center, which builds sustainable housing and prevents disease spreading in developing countries, led to the former president winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Unsuccessful presidential nominees have also set up companies for specific issues, with former Vice President Al Gore, who narrowly lost to George W. Bush in 2000, establishing the Alliance for Climate Protection post-vice presidency. 

Gore had campaigned heavily on green issues throughout his political career and presidential campaign, and the non-profit was an extension of that focus. Harris could be tempted to do something similar on her core issues, such as women's rights. 

A presidential campaign is an exhausting process, and Harris may decide that 20 years of public service across all three branches of government is enough. 

Hillary Clinton made a similar calculation after losing the 2016 presidential election. After a long history in the Senate representing New York and a place in former President Barack Obama's cabinet as secretary of state, Clinton has focused her efforts since her defeat to writing books, speaking tours and founding Onward Together, a political action organization aimed at advancing progressive values and supporting like-minded groups. 

The outgoing vice president might decide that path is the most appealing as well. 

What Can Kamala Harris Learn from Richard Nixon? 

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In 1962, Nixon ran for governor of California but lost to incumbent Pat Brown. Following this defeat, he famously told the press, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore," signaling what many thought was his exit from politics. Nixon moved to New York and joined a prestigious law firm, where he built connections with influential political and business figures. 

During this period, he traveled extensively, enhancing his expertise in foreign policy. By 1968, he successfully rebuilt his political base, appealing to a conservative and discontented electorate. Nixon capitalized on the turbulent social climate and divisions over the Vietnam War, positioning himself as a unifier promising "law and order." 

This strategic comeback led to his successful presidential campaign in 1968, where he defeated Vice President Hubert Humphrey to become the 37th president of the United States. Nixon's post-1960 years were marked by resilience and strategic maneuvering, ultimately setting the stage for his return to power. 

Source : Inputs from Newsweek