Kamala Harris has not closed the door on another run for the White House.
Her husband, Doug Emhoff, has privately told people he would prefer she stay out of the 2028 race, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Emhoff served as second gentleman while Harris held the vice presidency. The Journal reported that he has expressed reservations about a new presidential campaign.
It also reported that he said he would back his wife if she decides to go ahead.
The account comes from private conversations, as described by the newspaper. Neither Harris nor Emhoff has made a public announcement about her plans.
Harris faced the question in front of an audience in July. Al Sharpton asked her about a potential presidential bid at the National Action Network conference in New York.
Her answer was short. “Listen, I might.”
She then spoke about her time in the vice president’s office.
She added, “I served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States. I know what the job is, and I know what it requires.”
Harris has not said whether she will seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. Speculation about a possible campaign has continued.
Emhoff’s support for his wife has a long public record. Harris describes the sacrifices he made for her political career in her memoir, “107 Days.”
The most significant of them came in 2020, after Joe Biden chose Harris as his running mate. Emhoff left his job at a law firm to avoid potential conflicts of interest tied to her new role.
Harris addressed that decision directly in the book. She wrote, “He made a huge sacrifice, gladly and without bitterness.”
She went on to explain what drove his choice. “He knew it was essential that there be no appearance of conflicts of interest in our new roles. So that was his last day at his law firm.”
Emhoff has since returned to the practice of law. He works as an attorney in Los Angeles, and he and Harris live in Malibu.
Another Democrat has also spoken about the possibility of a Harris campaign.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has long been the subject of speculation about seeking the party’s presidential nomination, addressed the matter in September.
Newsom told CNN’s Jake Tapper he would not enter the race if Harris does. “I wouldn’t run if she ran.”
He kept going with the same point. “I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t do it to me. I wouldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t waste everyone’s time.”
Three figures have now touched on the 2028 contest in three different settings.
Harris answered a question at a conference in New York. Newsom spoke in a televised interview. Emhoff’s position surfaced through the Journal’s reporting of his private remarks.
For now, the decision belongs to Harris.
She has made no announcement, and she has said “I might.” Emhoff, according to the report, has told people he would rather she did not run, and he has said he would support her if she does.
