Advisers and allies are privately deliberating Vice President Harris\u2019s next steps as she prepares to leave office Monday facing an uncertain future after an unprecedented year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harris, who became the Democratic presidential candidate overnight last July after President Biden\u2002<\/u><\/a>suddenly dropped out of the race, could use the next four years to set up a new run for the White House in 2028, when President-elect Trump\u2002<\/u><\/a>will be ineligible to run for reelection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She could also consider a gubernatorial bid in her home state of California, or make her exit from public service altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is a debate amongst her advisers right now about whether she should pursue any offices and if so, which ones?\u201d said one Harris ally who has spoken to the vice president in recent weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Harris is keeping her options open, three sources close to the vice president say, but is giving considerable thought to continuing in public service, something she has done for more than two decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t she run again?\u201d a second longtime ally said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a question many of her advisers have repeated in recent weeks, including at a recent black-tie affair held at the Naval Observatory for Harris\u2019s closest advisers and friends last month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the December soiree, Harris\u2019s key allies bandied about her options informally. \u201cNo one thinks this is it for her in terms of public office,\u201d the ally said. \u201cThis is just who she is.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since conceding to Trump in November, Harris has kept a low public profile, turning away interviews and putting a cap on her time as vice president. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Harris, sources close to her say, is also still methodically piecing together what happened in the presidential election. In the coming weeks, upon leaving office, she is expected to have \u201ca real think\u201d \u2014 as one source put it \u2014 about her path forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis will be the first time in a long time that she\u2019s had a moment to think about next steps,\u201d a third Harris ally said, pointing to her grueling schedule as vice president and running mate to Biden and then her own candidacy following Biden\u2019s decision to leave the race. \u201cShe has had very little time to process the past few months and think about whether she even wants to try it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NBC News reported Wednesday that Harris has decided to write a book in the immediate months following her departure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKamala Harris\u2002<\/u><\/a>is poised to land the biggest book deal of any vice president in history,\u201d Keith Urbahn, a literary agent, told the news outlet. \u201cBut the real question isn\u2019t the advance \u2014 it\u2019s whether the book can redefine her for 2028.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, second gentleman Doug Emhoff\u2002<\/u><\/a>is making moves to return to the private sector and having conversations about potentially landing in New York, one source familiar with the matter said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to Harris, Jamal Simmons,<\/u><\/a> who served as Harris\u2019s communications director until 2023, said Harris has several months to decide her next steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe shouldn\u2019t do anything until the spring,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cShe\u2019s been on the fastest, most intense treadmill and she should catch her breath and enjoy her friends and family, think about the time she served the public and then begin to have conversations about what to do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe worst thing to do is to jump into a long-term commitment unless you absolutely have to,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The third ally to Harris also cautioned that if Harris wants to run for president, she shouldn\u2019t run for governor given the potential stakes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cImagine she runs for governor and loses,\u201d the aide said. \u201cIt would be game over.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, one major Democratic donor said Harris should consider the gubernatorial race over another presidential election. This source suggested the extent of Harris\u2019s loss to Trump \u2014 she lost all seven swing states in the race \u2014 undermines confidence among Democrats in a potential 2028 candidacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cListen, there\u2019s no way she makes it through a primary, and that\u2019s the reality,\u201d the donor said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If Harris does decide to run for president in 2028, she could be up against California Gov. Gavin Newsom,<\/u><\/a> who shares many of the same advisers and donors as Harris. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Newsom, who has come under scrutiny recently as the wildfires in his state continue to rage, has long been seen as a top contender for the Democratic nomination. But Harris\u2019s allies say that shouldn\u2019t discourage her from running. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEverybody who wants to run for president should run for president,\u201d the third Harris ally said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t the time for backroom deals and negotiation. It\u2019s about who the best messenger is for the Democratic Party.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s like the lottery, you\u2019ve got to play if you want to win,\u201d the ally said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are likely to be many more names in a 2028 race beyond Harris and Newsom. A short list<\/u><\/a> includes the likes of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer,<\/u><\/a> Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker,<\/u><\/a> Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear,<\/u><\/a> Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro,<\/u><\/a> Sen. John Fetterman\u2002<\/u><\/a>(D-Pa.), former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg\u2002<\/u><\/a>and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez\u2002<\/u><\/a>(D-N.Y.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, those who know Harris well say the transition from vice president to private life could be a challenging one for her, given her multiple back-to-back public service roles, from California district attorney to the state\u2019s attorney general to the Senate before taking on the role of Biden\u2019s partner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe has been an elected official for most of her adult life so the prospect of being out of office must be unsettling to her,\u201d the third ally said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n