Democrats Avoid Kamala Like The Plague As She Tries To Flex Midterm Muscle

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to keep her political brand strong ahead of the 2026 midterms, but a growing number of Democratic candidates are making clear they would rather campaign without her.

Harris has attempted to step up her involvement in competitive races as she considers another presidential run in 2028. But Democrats running in some of the very states where the party is trying to expand have publicly rejected or distanced themselves from her.

The list includes Democratic candidates in Iowa, Alaska, and Kansas, as well as in states Harris’s own team has flagged as targets for her help.

In Iowa, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand told Politico he did not want Harris campaigning for him and said, “Let’s move on. We need some new leadership.” Senate nominee Josh Turek was even more succinct when asked whether he wanted Harris to campaign for him.

“No,” Turek said before laughing.

In Kansas, Democratic Senate nominee Adam Hamilton told Politico that his campaign is focused on appealing to Republicans and running a Kansas-centered campaign. He said Republican voters in the state may have a different worldview from Harris. “Having somebody from California come in and try to tell Kansans who they should vote for is a pretty bad idea,” Hamilton said.

Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola also pushed back after Harris’s political operation sent a fundraising appeal on her behalf. Peltola’s campaign said she “isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48” and emphasized her focus on Alaska.

The distancing is not limited to states where Democrats are trying to win traditionally Republican territory.

According to The New York Times, Harris aides circulated a donor document identifying Democratic candidates in states including Texas and Arizona as potential beneficiaries of her midterm travel and fundraising efforts. But aides to Texas Senate nominee James Talarico, Texas gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa, and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs told the Times that they did not want Harris to campaign with them.

Harris herself has acknowledged the awkward situation. “I support them in doing whatever they need to do to win,” she said in an interview with MS NOW earlier this month when asked about Democrats who had rejected her support. “I look forward to being on the trail and helping folks where I can be helpful.”

Despite the sentiment in most competitive races, it’s not all benchwarming for the former vice president; Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed scheduled a campaign stop with Harris in Detroit on Tuesday. She already joined El-Sayed for a black maternal health roundtable and an NAACP event focused on voter turnout. El-Sayed said Harris understood the tensions surrounding the Biden administration’s approach to the Israel-Hamas war and described her appearance as an opportunity to bring Democrats together.

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is also welcoming Harris. His campaign said he was “grateful for Vice President Harris’ help and support,” and Harris is scheduled to campaign with him in Georgia in October as Harris simultaneously weighs another presidential campaign. She said in April that she was “thinking about” a 2028 bid and has since increased her political activity. 

The 2026 campaign trail therefore offers Harris an opportunity to rebuild a national political network — but it is also exposing the limits of where Democratic candidates currently want her involved.

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