Volodymyr Dubovyk, director of the Center for International Studies and associate professor of international relations at Mechnikov Odesa National University, spoke with Tyzhden about what’s driving Kamala Harris’s recent return to the spotlight, her potential run for the U.S. presidency in 2028, and the challenges currently facing the Democratic Party.
***
— Kamala Harris recently made her first pointed criticism of Donald Trump since the election and, not long before that, showed up unexpectedly at the Met Gala. Western media say she’s been weighing her next move ever since stepping down — whether to run for California governor in 2026 or take another shot at the presidency in 2028. So why is she stepping back into the spotlight now? And which path seems more likely?
— I think Harris’s re-emergence has a lot to do with the fact that people have been wondering where she went. Tens of millions voted for her in 2024, and now many are asking why she’s been so silent. The timing also works in her favour — Trump’s approval ratings have slipped, and a significant number of his former supporters are beginning to feel disillusioned. Add to that the fact that the Democrats don’t currently have a clear leader, and it becomes a strategic moment for her to reintroduce herself.
That said, I don’t think her prospects for 2028 are particularly strong. Of course, she might take this time to reflect on what went wrong last year, draw lessons from that defeat, and decide whether she still has a viable path forward — and if so, what needs to change. In 2024, she had only a few months to campaign instead of a full election cycle, and it didn’t help that the presidency was still held by someone else. So while a presidential run is still theoretically possible, I think many Americans will be looking for new faces. Running for governor of California might be a more realistic option. She has solid chances there, especially given the network of local and regional alliances she’s already built with key political figures.
— In recent months, the Democratic Party has found itself in a prolonged crisis, with historically low approval ratings — just 7% of voters say they view it “very positively.” Why has the party struggled to emerge from this slump? And why has its response to Trump’s rhetoric been so weak?
— The Democratic Party is undoubtedly in a tough spot. They still haven’t found their footing after last year’s defeat, and the recovery has taken far too long. Rather than turning the page and focusing on constructive solutions, the party remains bogged down in internal squabbles — still trying to assign blame and figure out who lost and why. There’s no unified vision for a new platform or a renewed electoral coalition.
The old coalition simply doesn’t hold up anymore. Many of the voters the Democrats had been counting on didn’t turn out. In particular, they’ve lost a substantial share of the working-class vote — once the party’s core base. And they’re also seeing cracks among other key demographics.
So now the party faces a fundamental question: should it try to win back those disillusioned voters, or look for support in new places? Leadership will be another critical issue, especially since it’s still unclear who might be capable of leading the party into the future.
— Do you think the Democratic Party could see a reboot anytime soon? What would that depend on? And could the occasional protests against President Trump and his administration actually make a difference?
— There’s definitely a chance for their recovery. Trump’s declining approval ratings likely aren’t just a blip, and the Democrats should seize that opportunity. Protests against the president do matter — they’re important for American society and its democratic health. But they won’t be enough on their own. What’s needed now is for the Democrats to roll up their sleeves and do the difficult, everyday work of rebuilding — almost from the ground up. There’s still time before the 2026 midterms, and by then, the political pendulum in the U.S. could very well start to swing in a different direction.
