Kamala Harris at the NAN Convention: 'I Know What the Job Is, and I Know What It Requires'
Kamala Harris walked into the National Action Network convention in New York on Friday to a room full of chants. "Run again! Run again!" When Rev. Al Sharpton asked her directly if she would, she did not dodge the question.
"Listen, I might. I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking about it," Harris said, repeating the phrase three times, according to CNN. The comments were the former vice president's most direct yet on the possibility of a third presidential campaign, and the crowd at the annual Black civil rights conference in Manhattan erupted.
Harris was unambiguous about why she feels qualified to run. "I served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States. I spent countless hours in my West Wing office, footsteps away from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room. I know what the job is. And I know what it requires," she told Sharpton.
A Crowded Field Taking Shape
Harris was one of several potential 2028 contenders who appeared at the NAN convention this week, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Every other potential candidate artfully dodged Sharpton's direct 2028 questions. Harris was the only one who didn't.
She also earned the only standing ovation of the event and the largest audience of any potential contender who appeared this week, per the Associated Press. After her speech, much of the crowd streamed out of the auditorium to get selfies with Harris, leaving the room half-empty by the time Buttigieg took the stage.
What She Said About Trump
Harris used the platform to sharply criticize President Trump's foreign policy, calling the war with Iran "a war of choice" and saying the administration's posture toward U.S. allies "keeps me up at night." She has been an outspoken Trump critic since leaving the White House and recently launched a political action committee while traveling to support Democratic candidates across the South.
She closed the 2028 question with characteristic precision: "I am thinking about it in the context of who and where and how can the best job be done for the American people. That's how I'm thinking about it. I'll keep you posted."
