Amid mounting speculation over her political future, former Vice President Kamala Harris emerged this week from a period of relative silence to deliver her most pointed public remarks since the 2024 presidential election. Addressing the Leading Women Defined Summit—a high-profile gathering centered on the political and cultural influence of Black women—Harris spoke with an unmistakable air of defiance: “I’m not going anywhere.”
Though formally brief—an eight-minute address devoid of explicit electoral declarations and filled with the former vice president’s typical word salad—the speech held symbolic weight among Democrats, noted The Hill. It landed at a moment of calculated political timing: just as Governor Gavin Newsom approaches the end of his gubernatorial tenure, and just as rumors proliferate regarding Harris’s potential entry into the 2026 California governor’s race.
Harris, who served as U.S. Senator from California and as a “historic” Vice President under Joe Biden, remains a gravitational force within the Democratic Party, whether the party likes it or not. Although she has issued no formal statement of candidacy, her reentry onto the public stage did not go unnoticed by party insiders—many of whom anticipate a decision before the close of summer. If she declares, Harris would likely assume frontrunner status; a February 2025 Emerson College poll found her commanding nearly 60 percent support among likely Democratic voters in California.
Kamala Harris delivers a speech about the current state of the U.S. at the ‘Leading Women Defined’ summit:
“There were many things we knew would happen… I’m not here to say I told you so.” pic.twitter.com/iOACWXtKnb
— Pop Base (@PopBase) April 4, 2025
Her timing was also strategic in another sense: the speech coincided with the gubernatorial campaign launch of Xavier Becerra, former Secretary of Health and Human Services and longtime Los Angeles Congressman. Becerra’s entry into the field introduces the possibility of a high-stakes primary between two seasoned contenders, both rooted in California’s political infrastructure and both tied to the broader Democratic establishment.
Notably, Harris refrained from mentioning Donald Trump by name, yet the specter of his return to the presidency loomed large in her remarks. “There’s a lot of fear,” she said, her tone equal parts somber and knowing. “There were many things that we knew would happen—many things.” A pause, then a smile. “I’m not here to say, ‘I told you so,’” she added, prompting laughter from the crowd.
While Harris did not lay out a policy agenda or campaign platform, an ability she has rarely shown she possesses, the speech did signal that you’re likely going to see a lot more from her over the next year or so.
[Read More: Reporter Suing Democrat For Libel After Ugly Smear]
