(DCNF)—Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce said Tuesday that only a weak “bench” of potential Democratic presidential candidates was keeping Vice President Kamala Harris viable.
Harris, who became the Democratic nominee in 2024 after President Joe Biden abruptly dropped out of the race, lost the Nov. 5 presidential election when former President Donald Trump secured the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidency. Bruce said that Harris became “a star” due to the lack of alternatives for Democrats.
“Some people are professional candidates. Now, she has won office, right? I mean, she has done well, inexplicably. She did — it continues to concern me that she received as many votes as she did, but that is something that the legacy media contributes to, and party loyalty contributes to, but all Americans across the board are waking up,” Bruce told “Varney and Company” guest host Ashley Webster. “But this is a woman who, because of the weakness of the Democratic bench, she becomes a star. And if the Democratic bench expands, if Democrats vote people in who know what they’re doing and can explain a vision, then the value of someone like Kamala Harris or the appeal of her will wane.”
“But, you know, in California you can — I suppose she might have a shot at something, if she wants to run for governor, but she’s not going to go and do something new,” Bruce continued. “Many people forget to think about that, you know, maybe you should try something else. There are other things in life. But, you know, for politicians at her level, there’s really nothing else in their minds that they can do, so it’s going to be up to the Democrats. But if they had a bigger bench and a stronger bench, she would not, I think, be in the position she’s in.”
Despite losing to Trump, Harris is the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2028 based on polls curated by 538.com, leading Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
Harris and her running mate, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, largely avoided interviews and press conferences after Biden announced he would not seek reelection July 21 before they began a media blitz campaign in October. One liberal pundit said the strategy may have been a factor in a poor performance by Walz during the Oct. 1 vice-presidential debate.
Harris also declined an invitation to attend the Al Smith Dinner in person, instead creating a video with former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Molly Shannon that was played at the charity event in her absence. She notably did not sit for an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, reportedly due to fears of a backlash among her campaign staff, which apparently cost her votes.
