Harris eyes possible 2028 comeback, but some former allies look to 'fresh' faces

Some previous supporters remain unenthusiastic about another run for president.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said she's "thinking about" a 2028 presidential bid, but some previous supporters are unenthusiastic -- despite her national name recognition and experience as second in command.

ABC News spoke with more than 15 former donors, fundraisers, campaign aides, Biden White House staffers and current advisers about Harris running again, some of whom asked not to be named to be able to speak freely.

A source familiar with Harris' thinking told ABC News that she's considering all options, but hasn't begun explicitly deliberating on a run with her team.

Like Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom got his start in San Francisco politics. He is also viewed as a top 2028 presidential contender and may gain some of her supporters, though has not formally committed.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, one of California's top powerbrokers, told ABC News while it's early to speculate, he believes the most "viable" between his two mentees would be Newsom, "because he would not be the most recent loser."

"When you embrace somebody for the job, you really want to embrace a winner, and Newsom would be what you would have to say at the moment is a winner," Brown said.

Brown said he was "surprised" that Harris decided not to run for California governor in 2026.

"I would have advised her to be elected governor, so that she would be in the same identical position, if not better than for electability nationally than Newsom. .... If she was in the category of being on January 8, 2027, the governor of California, the dialogue would be about her candidacy, not about anybody else's," Brown said.

An influential California donor and early Harris supporter told ABC News, "I have not heard one person suggest it would be good for anything if she ran. ... We are looking for someone who is fresh and not imposed on the voters. We understood we were stuck with the situation last time, but this is not the case going forward."

Asif Mahmood, a bundler who's backed Harris for 15-plus years, said, "If it is Kamala and Newsom, the money will be divided, and I think Newsom might have little edge on that because he's currently governor."

"It is not that I can say with certainty that I will be backing her the way I was backing before, depending on the field," Mahmood added.

A source close to Harris said that if she ran, she'd be aware that donors and operatives may align with other campaigns.

Harris' 2024 presidential campaign burned through more than $1 billion in 15 wee