2024 is long enough ago that memories have dimmed for many people. She retains a high approval rating with grassroots Democrats for some reason, but most candidates running for office this year are staying far away from her.
Most, but not all. Abdul El-Sayed is doing well enough in the public polls — polls show him with a small but so far durable lead — but for some reason El-Sayed is bringing in Kamala Harris to bolster his support with Democrats. I can only surmise that his internal polls show that he has trouble with his base, because Harris lost the state and is among the worst campaigners in national politics.
It certainly can't be because Harris has coattails with Independents.
Kamala Harris avoided like the plague as Dems openly bash her: 'No thanks' https://t.co/pSvPlRYClU pic.twitter.com/yxiRlxOtEM
— New York Post (@nypost) September 22, 2026
Harris spent the day with El-Sayed yesterday, and unless you were well into your cups or using some of those THC gummies you can't avoid in Michigan, she sounded exactly as you remembered her from the 2024 campaign.
Former VP Kamala Harris on the importance of voting in Michigan's senate race: "The stakes are so high...they have power and voice in the outcome of this election, which will directly impact their lives in many ways." pic.twitter.com/nN2DJyyRb5
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 22, 2026
Uh, wut? Kamala can certainly fill the silence, but none of it makes sense. Blah blah blah.
Harris also isn't exactly great at keeping up with the times, so she sounds like a high school sophomore spouting woke nonsense.
Abdul El-Sayed - who said breast cancer funding was "disturbing" - looks miserable as Kamala Harris yells, not once but twice, that opposing woke DEI is "an attack on maternal care." pic.twitter.com/OjDEDBdshq
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 22, 2026
Ooooookkkkkkaaaaayyyyy. I'm sure that makes sense to somebody, somewhere. But probably not the Independent voters.
Former VP Kamala Harris, campaigning for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI), speaks about the importance of black maternal health care: "On this subject, I know he will be a champion." pic.twitter.com/iiufH2HPSG
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 22, 2026
Harris shows almost every tic we know and hate, spews nonsense like a champ, and if you look at El-Sayed's face, he was just reminded how bad Harris is at politics. She rose in politics only because others carried her on the backs of their own prestige and power, and when given the opportunity to make the case for herself, she blew it, and will no doubt blow it again.
Kamala Harris is campaigning with Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan today
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 22, 2026
The topic? "Black birthing people"
Wokeness is NOT over pic.twitter.com/u3VbjeOrnx
Harris, I imagine, will neither help nor hurt El-Sayed. No doubt Harris is trying to shore up her support with black voters, since her endorsement might have a marginal impact, but I doubt she will have much impact there, either.
She's not Jim Clyburn, with a deep reservoir of goodwill earned over the years.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) September 18, 2026
America dodged a bullet.
“AI is kind of a fancy thing. First of all, it’s 2 letters.”
-Kamala Harris pic.twitter.com/omty3sWfD8
So why write about this? Simple: Harris is the nominal frontrunner in the race to become the Democrat Party candidate for president, and her appearance on the campaign trail indicates that her interest is strong. Harris often lands at the top of presidential preference polls when she is pitted against a long slate of candidates, but those polls greatly overstate her support. She's probably polling at the top of her range, with the vast majority of people having decided to vote for anybody but her.
“No thanks,” Iowa Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand told Politico when asked whether he wanted Harris’ help.
“Let’s move on. We need some new leadership.”
Senate candidates in Iowa and Kansas have publicly distanced themselves from Harris, according to The New York Times. Meanwhile, Democratic nominees in Texas and Arizona also told the newspaper they had no plans to campaign with her.
Kansas Senate nominee Adam Hamilton told Politico that he needs to appeal to Republican voters whose “worldview may be a bit different than Kamala Harris.”
Those blunt rejections come as new polling by Politico found that support for a third Harris presidential campaign is fading even in her home state, with just 28% of California voters excited about a 2028 run, according to a UC Berkeley Citrin Center-POLITICO poll. That was down 13 points since March.
Harris also faces resistance within her own party as 55% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters said they would not be excited about her running again, while only 10% believed she had a better chance than Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Her campaign appearance in Michigan, and just as importantly, her notable lack of others, tells us something very important about the real shape of the race for the nomination: Harris is anything but a shoo-in, and the people who understand their electorates aren't excited by the prospect of appearing with her.
Kamala Harris: I think we are at the point of our new relationship where I can call you Abdul.
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 22, 2026
El-Sayed: Perfect. For me, it’s going to be Madame Vice President. pic.twitter.com/DwxY1xf154
Even among Democrats, her support appears broad enough, but I suspect its depth is about an inch. The only candidates being talked about who have what you would call a "movement" would be Bernie Sanders, if he ran, or AOC, if she decides to run.
Everybody else is looking for a lane to run in, not an established political identity and group of supporters to build on. She has Dan Quayle vibes (no disrespect to Quayle, who didn't deserve the bad rap he got, but politically speaking, he was a dead man walking when he ran).
If Sanders gets into the race, the nomination is almost certainly his, despite his age. Failing that, the pressure for AOC to take a shot will be high, since Mamdani is barred from running, but her path to victory is less certain.
If the polls and Harris' reception on the campaign trail are any indication, Harris will not be the candidate. Donors don't want her. Democrats who will be on the ballot in 2028 don't want her. And I suspect that once they are reminded that the candidate of "Joy" can barely string together a coherent sentence, primary voters won't want her either.
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