WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Kamala Harris made a rare public appearance at a youth voters event Friday, speaking for fewer than two minutes in a pre-recorded video address about the need to stay “in the fight” — without giving any indication of her own future ambitions.
The activist summit, which appeared to be sparsely attended, was aimed at “building political power for Gen Z” and featured speeches from Harris, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
Unlike the two House Democrats, Harris chose not to give her remarks in person.
“Keep building your political power, keep building community, keep building coalitions, keep challenging the status quo,” she said to the group gathered in the nation’s capital.
“And born out of our love for our country, keep fighting to build a country and a nation. That works for everyone. And I look forward to continuing in the fight alongside you. You take care.”
Voters of Tomorrow senior director Kaya Jones had preceded Harris in the line-up and suggested actions by the Republican-held White House and Congress had taken a toll on youth organizing.
“The last few months have been really rough, and, um, yeah, let’s just pause for that,” she said, leading to a brief moment of silence.
Harris struck a similar tone in her remarks, saying: “Your generation has grown up on the front lines of so many crises — from COVID and the climate crisis to gun violence and mental health.”
“It is critically important that we have organizations such as this who understand that we must be intentional about lifting up our young leaders and encouraging your ambition,” she added.
After a landslide loss to Trump in 2024, Harris pledged in her concession speech to “never give up the fight” — but has yet to indicate whether she will enter the California governor’s race next year or the presidential contest in 2028.
“On the campaign, I would often say, ‘When we, fight, we win.’ But here’s the thing: Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win,” she added after losing all seven swing states to Trump and becoming the first Democratic nominee in 20 years to lose the popular vote.
“We must stay in the fight, every one of us,” Harris also told students during a speech at Prince George’s County Community College in Maryland before leaving office. “And I ask you to remember the context in which you exist.”
Pelosi, 83, said Friday she had “no doubt that we will win the election with the House of Representatives” in 2026.
“By October — certainly by November, but by October, we will have — with the help of so many people working — we’ll have taken what’s his name’s numbers down,” Pelosi said, eliding Trump’s name in a pointed slight.
Public polling shows the former vice president still at the front of the Democratic primary pack, with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg seen as the second-leading contender.
