Former Vice President Kamala Harris has been privately contacting progressive Democrats, pro-Palestinian activists, former aides, and other party figures ahead of a possible 2028 White House run, according to a report from Axios.
Axios framed the outreach as a sign that Harris is “laying the groundwork for a potential White House run in 2028” and “looking to strengthen or repair her relationships with left-wing Democrats.”
The report said Harris privately called New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani last Thursday to discuss the Democrat Party’s future and arrange a more extended conversation. Axios cited a person familiar with the call and reported that Harris has also occasionally exchanged text messages with Mamdani in recent months.
The call came two days after candidates backed by Mamdani won three congressional races in New York City, defeating two incumbents.
Harris also met in April with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in Chicago during the “Power Rising” conference, which Axios described as “a summit for Black women empowerment.”
Axios reported that Harris and her team have been reaching out over the past year to pro-Palestinian activists, including at least one person involved in leading the Uncommitted Movement, an effort that emerged in response to former President Joe Biden’s Gaza policy.
During the 2024 election cycle, uncommitted Democrat delegates said the Harris campaign denied their request to have a Palestinian American speak at the Democratic National Convention. Axios reported that many activists later felt “politically homeless” and split over whether to support Harris.
Last week in Detroit, Harris met with Abbas Alawieh, a co-founder of the Uncommitted Movement who is now running as a Democrat for a Michigan state Senate seat. Alawieh has said he voted for Harris in 2024.
Alawieh told Axios that Harris “requested the meeting” after “months of private conversations” that she initiated.
During the meeting, Alawieh said he “reiterated my longstanding position that American tax dollars should never be used to target civilians or destroy entire communities.”
Alawieh, who said he was not speaking on behalf of the Uncommitted Movement, also told Axios that he “shared with her that members of the community that I’m seeking to represent have recently lost family members in Israeli air strikes that have been supported by the U.S.”
Harris also recently spoke with James Zogby, a longtime Democratic National Committee member who has advocated for Palestinian rights, according to Axios, which cited sources familiar with the conversation.
Axios reported that “many on the left were disappointed during the 2024 general election because Harris did not distance herself from Biden’s reflexively pro-Israel stance.”
Axios also wrote that while Harris was vice president, she “considered herself an advocate for on-the-ground activists,” including those concerned about Palestinians in Gaza.
In her 2025 book, 107 Days, Harris wrote that she privately “pleaded” with Biden to show more empathy toward civilians killed in Gaza.
“He couldn’t do it: while [Biden] could passionately state, ‘I am a Zionist,’ his remarks about innocent Palestinians came off as inadequate and forced,” Harris wrote.
Harris also wrote that interruptions from pro-Palestinian protesters at her 2024 campaign events at times frustrated her.
“The issue was not binary, but the outcome of this election certainly was,” Harris wrote.
Axios reported that some pro-Palestinian figures remain skeptical that Harris can rebuild trust with Arab American and left-wing voters unless she makes major policy concessions.
“Why should we trust her now?” Rania Batrice, a progressive strategist and Palestinian American, told Axios. “If this change is real, she has an opportunity to prove it.”
“Until then, skepticism isn’t just understandable, it’s warranted,” Batrice added.
Patrick Gaspard, a longtime Democrat strategist, defended Harris’s approach and has helped validate her with some progressives, according to Axios.
“In real time, the vice president had concerns about a lack of empathy for Palestinians in the way the Biden White House presented their policies,” Gaspard told Axios.
“She tried then as she continues now to hear opinions beyond Foggy Bottom and Pennsylvania Ave.,” he added.
Axios reported that Harris remains “at or close to the top” of most early polling of potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders, while facing doubts “from the left, center, and donors.”