Kamala Harris avoided like the plague as Dems openly bash her: ‘No thanks’

Kamala Harris is finding the Midwest a little chilly, with one exception.

The former vice president is being welcomed to Detroit on Tuesday by Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, but other vulnerable Dems have made it clear they would prefer the losing 2024 presidential candidate stay away.Honoree Kamala Harris attends the Public Counsel Awards Dinner on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Beverly Hills, California. Getty ImagesDemocratic candidate for US Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks to the press about rising gas prices outside a gas station in Detroit, Michigan, Tuesday, September 22, 2026. REUTERS

“No thanks,” Iowa Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand told Politico when asked whether he wanted Harris’ help.

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Kansas Senate nominee Adam Hamilton told Politico that he needs to appeal to Republican voters whose “worldview may be a bit different than Kamala Harris.”

Those blunt rejections come as new polling by Politico found that support for a third Harris presidential campaign is fading even in her home state, with just 28% of California voters excited about a 2028 run, according to a UC Berkeley Citrin Center-POLITICO poll. That was down 13 points since March.

Harris also faces resistance within her own party as 55% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters said they would not be excited about her running again, while only 10% believed she had a better chance than Gov. Gavin Newsom.Gavin Newsom attends the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. REUTERS

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Democrats interviewed by the Times and the Associated Press said Harris, the first woman and first Black person to serve as vice president, offers a powerful draw for the party’s base ahead of the November midterm elections. But others view her as an unwelcome reminder of the unpopular Biden administration and a stinging defeat to President Trump.Former President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd during a fundraising event with the South Carolina Democratic Party at the Columbia Museum of Art on Friday, February 27, 2026, in Columbia, South Carolina. The event marked the sixth anniversary of Biden’s presidential primary win in the early voting state of South Carolina. Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. REUTERS

El-Sayed, looking to shore up support from Black voters in Michigan, is taking a different tack.

The progressive former Detroit health director said Harris’ visit could help unite Democratic constituencies fractured over the war in Gaza during the 2024 election cycle.

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Michigan’s large Arab American community sharply criticized the Biden administration’s support for Israel, contributing to tensions within the Democratic coalition before Harris narrowly lost the state to Trump.President Joe Biden delivers a speech at Renaissance High School, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Detroit. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

El-Sayed told MS NOW that some Black voters were left with “hurt feelings” because they believed Arab American voters had not done enough to help Harris defeat Trump. He said her visit offers an opportunity to repair that divide.

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Harris is scheduled to campaign in Nevada with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Aaron Ford and in Georgia with Sen. Jon Ossoff, according to the AP. She is also expected to appear with two Democratic congressional candidates in California.

A July fundraising document obtained by the Times presented Harris as a potentially valuable midterm surrogate and sought money to support her political travel. But she has said she is in no hurry to decide on her 2028 plans.

“Right now, midterms, midterms, midterms,” Harris recently told former US women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe on a podcast.

(*) Full article: https://nypost.com/2026/09/22/us-news/kamala-harris-avoided-like-the-plague-as-dems-openly-bash-her-no-thanks/