
Kamala's comeback bid sparks Democrat donor meltdown amid fears she'll sink party in California
' potential comeback bid for California 's gubernatorial race is falling flat as the state's liberal donors say they are still 'traumatized' from her loss to Donald Trump.
The former Democratic nominee for president has been considering a run for California Governor, with several declared candidates promising to drop out of the race if she enters.
Harris would instantly become the frontrunner in the race, but Democratic donors say they are less than enthusiastic about the former vice president's resurgence.
Insiders told Politico that donors are still suffering a hangover from Harris' landslide loss to Donald Trump in November, after she burned through hundreds of millions of dollars only to ultimately lose every swing state.
'Kamala just reminds you we are in this complete s*** storm,' one donor told the outlet.
'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.
'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.'
Harris has not publicly said she will enter the race, but sources told The Hill this week that she is 'leaning toward' entering the Democratic primary, saying the chance to get back in the spotlight has given her 'a glimmer in her eyes.'
But while Harris is said to be excited by the prospect of re-entering public office, many of the donors who supported her last run for the White House say they are less enthused.
'There was more enthusiasm at first,' Mather Martin, a San Francisco-based fundraiser who has worked for past Harris campaigns, told Politico. 'I think it waned a bit.'
One California donor who contributed six-figures to Harris' run against Donald Trump said they fear a comeback campaign would only remind Democrats of how 'traumatizing' her loss to Trump was.
Harris reportedly held several meetings in the Bay Area this month to feel out a possible run for governor, and believes she would have an advantage in the field as she remains a big name in a Democratic Party that has not found a new leader following Trump's landslide in November.
She was reportedly considering another run for the presidency in 2028, but is leaning toward California Governor.
One insider told The Hill: 'She has a lot of people in her ear telling her that it makes the most sense and she can do the most good.'
One key sticking point looming over any potential run appears to be the reported cognitive decline of former President Joe Biden, raising questions over whether Harris was privy to his struggles in office.
One of Harris' would-be opponents in the race, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, used this as ammunition in a recent X post last month.
'Voters deserve to know the truth, what did Kamala Harris and Xavier Becerra know, when did they know it, and most importantly, why didn't either of them speak out?' he wrote - also referencing former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who was also a member of the Biden administration as secretary of Health and Human Services.
'This cover up directly led to a second Donald Trump term.'
As one Democrat donor put it to Politico, fundraisers 'realize it's just going to bring up the whole pathetic last presidential, which no one wants to hear about again. And then it's the whole 'Did you know Joe Biden?' thing.'
They concluded: 'She still would probably lead, but honestly, no one is incredibly pumped.'
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