Former Vice President Kamala Harris could have a serious uphill climb, even within her own party and among Democratic donors, should she decide to run for president once again in 2028.

ABC News surveyed 15 top donors and Democratic politicos, and just judging from the responses, Kamala should have some serious doubts about her viability as a presidential candidate going forward. And what she probably should have done was run for governor of California.

That would have been Willie Brown's advice, as he tells ABC News now, and he says he was "surprised" Harris declined to pursue the governor's office, because now she's at a disadvantage compared to her likely rival in the 2028 race, Gavin Newsom.

"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," Brown says. "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 adds, "When you embrace somebody for the job [of President], you really want to embrace a winner, and Newsom would be what you would have to say at the moment is a winner."

One anonymous fundraiser who raised money for Harris's 2024 campaign tells ABC News, "I think the electorate is going to be extremely hungry for a new, fresh, younger voice with a different perspective, and who can effectively articulate an agenda for the future. ... I don't believe that Kamala is the right person for this moment by any stretch of your imagination."

And an anonymous Democratic donor who gave to Harris's 2020 campaign is even more forthright, saying, "I really have not heard anybody say that they want her to run. In fact, it's the opposite."

Should Newsom and Harris end up in primary fight together, they can likely expect deep-pocketed donors, especially those in California, to be splitting up their money, and Newsom could hold a heavy advantage not being the "most recent loser," as Brown puts it.

Other politicos sound a bit more supportive, speaking to ABC News, though another points out that voters' "Biden fatigue," and Harris's association with Biden, could still harm her as a candidate.

Harris's camp issued a statement to ABC News saying, "The Vice President is grateful to the supporters who have stood with her. Right now, as Americans look for leadership in the fight against the rollback of their fundamental rights and freedoms — including the Supreme Court's devastating gutting of the Voting Rights Act — she is focused on electing Democrats up and down the ballot in the midterms and building up state parties for the critical fights ahead."

Harris will be delivering a keynote address at a major Democratic fundraising gala in Louisiana in August, during which she is expected to focus on the Voting Rights Act and strategies for counteracting the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais.

Previously: Kamala Harris Says 'I'm Thinking About It' With Regard to 2028 Run

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