As the dust settles after President Donald Trump’s decisive win in the 2024 election, the Democratic Party is at a crossroads, with speculation swirling around its next generation of leaders. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have emerged as two of the most talked-about figures in the party’s ongoing search for direction, each facing questions about their political futures and the party’s path forward in the Trump era.
On Monday night, September 22, 2025, Kamala Harris appeared on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” for a candid discussion that touched on her political ambitions, President Trump, and her own party’s recent history. When pressed about whether she would consider running for president in 2028, Harris was unequivocal: “That’s not my focus right now. That’s not my focus at all, it really isn’t.” According to Nexstar Media Inc., this clear statement came amid mounting speculation following her July 2025 announcement that she would not run for governor of California—a move that surprised many and ended rumors about her seeking the state’s top executive role after her loss to Trump.
Harris explained her decision regarding the California gubernatorial race, telling MSNBC, “That was the decision before me. And I made the decision not to run for governor of California. By the way, there are a lot of great candidates running.” Instead, she committed to becoming more active in helping Democrats during the 2025 midterm cycle, signaling her ongoing engagement with the party’s fortunes even if she’s not pursuing elected office—at least for now.
But Harris’s political future remains a subject of intense speculation, especially with the release of her memoir, “107 days,” on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. The book offers a behind-the-scenes look at her campaign against Trump and the fraught decision by President Joe Biden to run for a second term before ultimately dropping out. In the memoir, Harris is strikingly frank about her misgivings regarding Biden’s decision to seek reelection at age 81, calling it “recklessness.” Reflecting on her own role, she wrote, “So, when I write this, it’s because I realize that I have and had a certain responsibility that I should have followed through on … and so, when I talk about the recklessness, as much as anything, I’m talking about myself.”
These candid admissions have set off a firestorm within Democratic circles. According to Axios, some former White House staffers have accused Harris of scapegoating Biden instead of taking responsibility for her own shortcomings, with one unnamed source alleging she “was simply not good at the job.” The debate over Harris’s legacy and future is emblematic of the broader soul-searching now gripping the party.
Meanwhile, another high-profile Democrat is reportedly weighing her own next steps. On Friday, September 19, 2025, Axios reported that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the outspoken New York congresswoman and prominent member of the so-called “Squad,” is considering a run for either president or the U.S. Senate in 2028, when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s seat will be up for grabs. Sources familiar with Ocasio-Cortez’s plans told Axios that her team is actively preparing her for both possibilities, though no official decision has been made.
Ocasio-Cortez’s political maneuvering is already well underway. She has reportedly hired former senior advisors from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ political orbit and has joined Sanders on a national “Fighting Oligarchy” tour in recent months. The tour, as reported by Fox News Digital, is aimed at pushing back against Trump administration policies and rallying the Democratic grassroots. Despite repeated requests, Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiries about her 2028 ambitions as of September 23, 2025.
The potential candidacies of Harris and Ocasio-Cortez come at a time when the Democratic Party is actively trying to redefine itself after Trump’s return to the White House. Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Shasti Conrad, who also chairs Washington State’s Democratic Party, spoke to Fox News Digital about the need for a broad coalition of leaders to step up. “We need Mamdani to Pete to Kamala to (Minnesota Gov. Tim) Walz to (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom ... to (Kentucky Gov.) Andy Beshear to, you know, AOC,” Conrad said, referencing a diverse lineup of Democratic talent. “We need messengers across this country talking about what Democrats stand for, what we will do when we get back in power, how we will make a difference in people’s lives.”
Conrad emphasized the importance of holding Republicans accountable, stating that these leaders must also bring attention to “what Trump is doing, calling that out every single day, holding the Republicans’ feet to the fire.” She also praised Harris’s new book for allowing the former vice president to “speak her truth” about the 2024 campaign cycle, particularly Harris’s assertion that she did not feel adequately supported by the Biden team and her criticism of the decision to let Biden run for another term.
Harris’s memoir delves into the internal party dynamics leading up to the 2024 election, with excerpts reflecting on the collective mindset among Democrats at the time. “It’s Joe and Jill’s decision. We all said that, like a mantra, as if we’d all been hypnotized,” Harris wrote. “Was it grace, or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. The stakes were simply too high. This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition. It should have been more than a personal decision.”
These words have struck a chord—and a nerve—with many in the party, fueling debates about accountability, leadership, and the future of the Democratic coalition. Some see Harris’s candor as a necessary reckoning, while others view it as an attempt to shift blame for the party’s 2024 defeat. What’s clear is that the Democratic Party is in the midst of a generational shift, with no single leader able to claim the mantle of standard-bearer in the wake of Trump’s victory.
Ocasio-Cortez’s potential entry into the 2028 presidential or Senate race would mark a significant moment for the party’s progressive wing, which has long sought greater influence within the Democratic establishment. Her close alliance with Sanders and her willingness to challenge both Republican and Democratic orthodoxies have made her a lightning rod for both praise and criticism. If she decides to run, she will likely face fierce competition from other ambitious Democrats, including those mentioned by Conrad as part of the party’s future leadership.
As for Harris, while she insists that another presidential campaign is not on her mind, her book tour and continued engagement with Democratic causes ensure she remains a central figure in the party’s ongoing debates. Whether she or Ocasio-Cortez—or perhaps an entirely new face—will emerge as the party’s standard-bearer in 2028 is anyone’s guess. For now, the Democratic Party’s future remains as open and contested as ever, with its next chapter still unwritten.