Despite her devastating loss last year to President Donald Trump, failed 2024 nominee and former Vice President Kamala Harris continues to be part of the discussion about who might be the Democratic Party's standard-bearer in the 2028 election amid a current leadership vacuum.

Some Senate Democrats are said to be "skeptical" but also "cautiously open" to the idea of their former colleague Harris being the Party's nominee again in the next election cycle after her deeply disappointing performance in November, The Hill reported.

The fact that Harris is even included in the 2028 conversation, given how embarrassingly she was trounced by Trump, suggests that the Democratic bench of possible presidential candidates is weaker than the left-leaning media lets on.

Some Dems warily prepare for another Harris run in 2028

The Hill reached out to several Democratic senators to inquire about whether former VP Harris should run for the White House again in 2028, and one unnamed senator bluntly replied, "No," because she'd already taken her shot at the presidency and missed.

Others, such as Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), suggested that she was deserving of another opportunity to run, albeit as one of many other candidates, and could add "valuable perspective" to the debate over the future direction of the Democratic Party.

Likewise, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) agreed that Harris should be included in "an open process" from which an eventual nominee would emerge.

Another senator who expressed openness to a potential 2028 run by Harris is Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who surmised that the "strikingly attractive and effective candidate and public official" would "certainly have support" if she launched another campaign, but also cautioned, "The question would be whether she’s the best candidate, and there will be a lot of debate about that question."

Political analysts suggest Dems have "little appetite" for another Harris campaign

Yet, while those Democratic senators were diplomatic about the idea of the failed 2024 nominee making another run at the White House, Newsweek reported that at least one political analyst revealed that many Democrats had "little appetite" for a third presidential campaign by former VP Harris.

Syracuse University political science professor Grant Reeher told the outlet that Harris was unlikely to rally Democrats around her after her loss last year, suggested that her apparent support in early 2028 polls was based solely on her name recognition, and stated, "I think there will be little appetite to return to someone who lost to Donald Trump."

That outlook was echoed by Columbia University political science professor Robert Shapiro, who similarly doubted that Democrats would rally around the "damaged" Harris, whom voters likely wouldn't give much consideration to since they are "looking for new leaders and there are others to consider."

Unpopular Harris mired mid-pack among probable 2028 Dem contenders

The Hill reported separately last month about some of the "others to consider" that might top a likely large field of contenders for the Democratic nomination, within which former VP Harris was situated mid-pack.

That list included Democratic stars like progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, and nearly a dozen more senators, representatives, governors, and even celebrities.

Of Harris, who is reportedly also contemplating a 2026 gubernatorial run in her home state of California, the outlet summarized of her prospects, "Either way, it’s hard to discern any ravenous appetite among the Democratic base for a third presidential campaign for Harris, after the 2024 effort and an underwhelming campaign in 2020."

Likely making the situation even more difficult for Harris to mount yet another run for the presidency is the fact that she is simply not particularly popular with most voters, as the latest RealClearPolling average of her favorability ratings has her underwater by -12 points, in that roughly 41.7% of voters have a favorable view of the former vice president compared to 53.7% of voters who view her unfavorably.