Kamala Harris thought she could rebuild her political career after her humiliating defeat.
But the people who bankrolled her disastrous presidential campaign have other ideas.
And Kamala Harris was blindsided by a brutal reality check that Democrat donors just delivered.
California Democrats are fed up with Kamala Harris
The former Vice President is seriously considering a run for California Governor in 2026 to replace term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom.
But Harris is discovering that even her own party’s biggest donors want nothing to do with her after the trainwreck that was her 2024 presidential campaign.
Politico spoke with multiple Democrat Party donors in California to gauge their enthusiasm for a potential Harris gubernatorial bid.
The results were devastating for Harris.
"She still would probably lead, but honestly, no one is incredibly pumped," one Southern California fundraiser told Politico.
That’s a far cry from the reception Harris expected after losing the presidential election to Donald Trump by a landslide.
Harris had hoped California would serve as her political rehabilitation tour.
Instead, she’s finding out that even Democrats are tired of her failed leadership.
Harris donors call her presidential campaign ‘pathetic’ and ‘traumatizing’
The criticism from Harris’s former supporters was absolutely savage.
One donor who gave a six-figure donation to Harris’s presidential campaign found the implosion of her White House bid "traumatizing."
"Kamala just reminds you we are in this complete s*** storm," the donor told Politico. "With Biden, we got bamboozled… I think she did the best she could in that situation, but obviously she knew about the cognitive decline too."
The donor continued their brutal assessment of Harris and the Democrat Party.
"I’ve written so many checks because I knew the Trump administration would be horrible, but we’re living in a nightmare because of the Democrats. I’m furious at them, truly," they said.
Another Democrat fundraiser explained why donors are reluctant to support Harris again.
The donor said Harris’s candidacy would "bring up the whole pathetic last presidential, which no one wants to hear about again."
Democrat donors question Harris’s commitment to California
Harris is facing questions about whether she’s actually committed to serving as California’s Governor or if she’s just using the position as a launching pad for another presidential run in 2028.
"My concern about Harris is that she would be using the position, if she won, as a placeholder for a second run at the presidency," California Democrat Party delegate Carol Weiss told Politico.
Harris has been making "quiet" visits and phone calls to her supporters as she weighs her options for 2026.
But her lukewarm reception suggests she may have overestimated her appeal even among California Democrats.
Mather Martin, a party fundraiser from San Francisco who worked for multiple Harris campaigns, said "There was more enthusiasm at first" but "I think it waned a bit."
Scott Drexel, a donor-adviser based in the San Francisco Bay Area, delivered another crushing blow to Harris’s ambitions.
"It’s very fair to say there’s not an overwhelming clamor" for Harris’s gubernatorial run, Drexel explained.
He added that "It’s very hard for there to be one if it’s not 100 percent clear if she really wants to do it."
Harris faces an uphill battle in California
The cold reception from donors is just the beginning of Harris’s problems if she decides to run for Governor.
California state party delegate Madison Zimmerman summed up the sentiment perfectly in May when she said "California isn’t a consolation prize."
Harris spent over a billion dollars on her presidential campaign and still managed to lose to Donald Trump in a landslide.
Now she’s finding out that even her home state isn’t excited about the prospect of her return to politics.
Democratic donor and San Francisco trial lawyer Joe Cotchett told Politico that Harris "is talking to people around the state about whether she is going to run."
"If she does, she’s going to have very difficult problems," Cotchett warned.
Harris has until the end of summer to make a decision about whether to launch a gubernatorial campaign.
But based on the reception she’s getting from her own party’s donors, she may want to consider finding a different line of work.
The brutal truth is that even California Democrats are tired of Kamala Harris’s failed leadership.
And no amount of quiet phone calls and listening sessions is going to change that fact.
