Kamala Harris is trying to figure out her next chapter — and it might start with a think tank.
The former vice president, who lost to President Trump last fall, is weighing whether to launch an “institute for policy and ideas,” with longtime adviser Brian Nelson quietly reaching out to universities — including Stanford and Howard — about hosting the venture, according to multiple reports.
Harris, 60, “jokes to friends that she is unemployed for the first time,” the New York Times reported. But time is ticking. Aside from public service pensions, former vice presidents don’t receive the same post-office funding as ex-presidents, and Harris may soon need to line up new income sources—especially after burning through campaign cash during her failed 2024 run.
The idea of starting a policy institute — a common move for former politicians — has raised eyebrows even within her own camp. Allies warn that fundraising for such a center could expose her to political headaches down the line, especially if she chooses to run for California governor in 2026 or take another shot at the White House in 2028. Harris has told people she sees those two paths as mutually exclusive — and must decide soon.
While she’s stayed largely out of the spotlight since November, she’s made a few public remarks — including a speech earlier this month warning against “capitulating” to Trump’s use of executive power. She also addressed Democratic activists in Wisconsin by Zoom ahead of that state’s Supreme Court election, but local operatives declined her offer to visit in person, fearing it could become a distraction.
Former second gentleman Doug Emhoff, 60, has returned to the legal world with a lucrative gig at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, pulling in a reported $6 million a year — even as the firm struck a Trump-approved deal that Emhoff opposed behind the scenes.
The New York Post reached out to the former VP’s office.
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