Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) argued Thursday night that former Vice President Harris’ upcoming book about her unsuccessful 2024 presidential run against President Trump will instruct potential candidates for office on “how not to run a campaign.”
“She was destroyed in every single swing state. Remember this, she lost women at a lower margin than Joe Biden. Joe Biden carried women at a greater margin than she did, he said Thursday evening in an appearance on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle.”
“She has no one to blame but her as a candidate for 107 days,” he told host Laura Ingraham. “I would give this book to every candidate that wants to learn how not to run a campaign.”
McCarthy — who resigned from the House in 2023 after being ousted from his leadership role — said he does not think that Harris will be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2028. Instead, he contended that if the party held a primary for the 2024 cycle after Biden withdrew from the race, the ex-vice president would not have been at the top of the ticket.
Harris announced Thursday that she will be releasing a memoir about her short-lived campaign for president. The book, titled “107 days” will be published by Simon & Schuster.
“Since leaving office, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on those days and with candor and reflection, I’ve written a behind-the-scenes account of that journey,” she said. “I believe there’s value in sharing what I saw, what I learned, and what it will take to move forward.”
The former vice president also revealed on Wednesday that she will not be running in the 2026 California gubernatorial race, despite positive hypothetical poll numbers, but that she will be more active in helping Democrats yield election victories.
“So, there’s no authenticity behind her,” McCarthy said. “You know, she talked about maybe running for governor, then she got second thoughts, because she knew she couldn’t win. I think this book is her idea to try to set the stage to be the Democrat nominee again.”
“This is the difference,” he added. “She would have to go earn it, and she would never be. She would never win the primary.”
Harris’s decision to take a break from politics has only exacerbated speculation that she could be preparing for another White House bid in 2028. In her first interview since Trump’s inauguration, the former Democratic nominee told CBS’s Stephen Colbert that the political system is currently “broken,” but she did not close the door on a future run.
