Kamala Harris calls out voting rights, urges Black voters to demand more from elected officials and explains why the fight for joy matters.
As Kamala Harris leads in 2028 presidential polling, the former Vice President’s focus is on the 2026 midterm elections.
During an appearance on the “Baby It’s Keke Palmer” podcast, the show’s host and actress directly asked Harris if she was running for president, to which she responded: “I haven’t decided yet. I will. I promise you, but ‘28 won’t matter if we don’t do ‘26 right.”
NEW: @KekePalmer asked VP Kamala Harris if she’s running for president in ’28.@KamalaHarris: “I haven’t decided yet. I will. I promise you. But ’28 don’t matter if we don’t ’26 right.” pic.twitter.com/5aKwKz7K68
Since leaving office and losing what would have been a historic election, Harris says she’s been enjoying the freedom of no longer being under a “microscope which parses every word you say in a way that can be very stifling.” However, this has not stopped the former Vice President from calling out the issues that matter, particularly ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Motivated by her desire to protect those who are vulnerable or voiceless, Harris explained that through her campaigning for democrats this election season, she is directly calling out the Supreme Court’s Callais decision, which experts say “betrayed Black voters.”
“[That] decision basically gutted…killed the Voting Rights Act, which was designed to protect people’s rights to have access to the ballot and to vote. And since that decision, you’ve seen, particularly in the South, all these states that are basically depriving people of their ability to have representation,” Harris told Palmer. “It is estimated that, for example, the Congressional Black Caucus, as many as one-third of them are going to lose their seats because of what has just happened, which means not only certain officeholders are going to lose their seat, but the voices they represent are going to lose their voice in Congress. So my work has been about saying we got to fight for these issues and we have to call it what it is.”
She continued: “So part of what I’ve been talking about is that decision basically they said, ‘Oh, it’s politics, it’s okay if they redistrict around race because it’s just politics.’ And so what I’ve been saying ––because it is what I absolutely believe –– is no. They have backdoored racism through the door of politics, and we have to call it what it is. They’re going back to a Jim Crow South on the issue of voting. So the folks on the other side want to criticize me for saying that. I don’t care. I don’t care because I’m calling it what it is. Because of that decision, it is estimated we could lose as many as 200 state Black legislators in the South.”
And in her push to get people to the polls, Harris encourages voters to become more “transactional,” meaning voting with the expectation of seeing something in return. The 2026 midterm elections are pivotal, as they shape the makeup of Congress and the legislation Congress passes.
“On the first Tuesday in November, the midterms are going to happen. And our ability to put people in Congress who will say no when [the Trump administration] does things like cut $1 trillion from Medicaid will be powerful and affect people right away. Our ability to put people in Congress who will say enough of the corruption, enough of ending the funding for research on issues like fibroids, which they have done under the guise of attacking DEI, can be stopped. There are things that are not only about what will be helpful but also about stopping what is harmful that we can do right away with these midterm elections,” Harris emphasized. “So when you vote, yes, we will honor the ancestors knowing that they died and fought for our right to vote, but we also are going to let everybody know we expect to get something for our vote that relates to the health care we can’t afford, the child care we can’t afford, the housing we can’t afford.”
In their conversation, both Palmer and Harris acknowledge how the stress of the rising cost of living and the stripping of resources can make it overwhelming not only to stay up to date on politics but also to experience joy.
“So many people are overwhelmed by the reality of daily life…that’s a good way to distract people from the fact that they are corrupt. That they are making billions of dollars, that they are giving tax breaks to the richest people, because who has time to focus on the corruption if you can’t pay for groceries and gas,” Harris noted.
At a time when it is so easy to be frustrated by the world’s events, the former Vice President, who has faced and continues to face scrutiny for everything from her politics to her laugh, is adamant about protecting her joy.
“Those who try to take your joy are trying to make you weak, and that’s where my fight comes in. I know what you’re trying to do,” she concluded. “You’re not going to take my joy. You cannot. There is nothing you can do to me that will take my joy. You are not that powerful.”
To everyone who makes fun of the way she laughs and the joy she carries, VP @KamalaHarris has a message for you:
“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re not gonna take my joy. There’s nothing you can do to me that will take my joy. You are not that powerful.” pic.twitter.com/x2cg0v1mZe
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