Kamala Harris seems to have retreated into the shadows following her disappointing presidential election defeat to Donald Trump. The outgoing Vice President has been conspicuously absent from public forums and has, on most occasions, declined to comment on her remarkable failure in the November election, where Trump remarkably outperformed her in all seven key swing states. There are whispers circling that Ms. Harris is considering penning a book about her unsuccessful adventure in the political arena, while some claim that such a project is still under debate.
Authorities in the publishing industry have speculated that such a literature venture could be Harris’s initial maneuver to prep the grounds for another potential bid for the White House in 2028. A confidant of Harris’s has been quoted stating, ‘I think she owes it to people to write a book.’ It seems that the strategic motive behind the book could be to reinvent her bruised image by the time 2028 rolls in and to lay the groundwork for a second attempt.
Reports have alternately suggested that Kamala Harris might be eyeing the gubernatorial seat of her home state, California, in 2026, perhaps as a stepping stone of sorts to a renewed presidential run in 2028. After losing the election, Harris had a golden opportunity to steer the Democratic Party in a new direction, by recognizing her own failings in understanding the electorate and by attempting to engage with a broader pool of voters beyond the party’s base. It remains to be seen if she seized upon this chance.
The potential book could be engineered in one of two ways. One possibility is a version filled with commonplace, superficial statements, effectively playing it safe. The other possibility outlines a bolder, riskier approach, where the book could serve as a vehicle to redefine her persona and to prepare the Democratic Party for a much-needed overhaul. Only the latter scenario might secure her a second stab at the presidency in the coming years.
Harris is no stranger to the publishing world, having authored three books that coincided with significant career milestones. However, her writing journey has garnered its fair share of controversy in the past. In 2009, she published ‘Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer,’ which was linked to her campaign for the position of California’s attorney general. In a cloud of controversy, the book was unexpectedly thrust into the limelight in October when Harris was accused of plagiarizing the works of civil rights leader Martin Luther King and others. The Vice President did not address these accusations.
In 2019, prior to the Democratic primaries, Harris released a memoir titled ‘The Truths We Hold’ and a children’s book called ‘Superheroes Are Everywhere.’ Unfortunately, her 2020 presidential dreams were quickly dashed as she withdrew from the race mere weeks before the vote commenced. Yet, despite her premature bow out, her campaign cranked up her public visibility, and she was subsequently roped in as Joe Biden’s running mate.
One cannot deny that Harris, with her run as vice-president, does have a story to narrate. However, her tenure is marked mostly by her unsuccessful attempt to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and a floundering economy. And while her presidency bid may have made history owing to her immigrant background, her performance during her tenure leaves a lot to be desired.