High-profile figures including Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders clashed how the party should be reformed before the 2026 semester in an attempt to gain control of one or both halves of Congress.

Some critics, including Mr. Sanders and Teamsters union president Sean O’Brien, said the party “lost touch” with working-class voters and failed to provide a coherent view of the economy.

Others blamed Joe Biden, who dropped out of the presidential race in late July, giving Ms. Harris just three months to mount a new campaign against Mr. Trump.

In her Nov. 6 concession speech, Ms. Harris said America’s “light of promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we fight.”

Although Ms. Harris lost the presidential race in a landslide, there are some in the party who believe she would be best placed to fight another election four years from now. They point to her broad donor base and the support of congressional Democrats.

No rollback for previous digits

The most recent unsuccessful Democrats did not return to the top of their party in subsequent elections.

After losing the 2016 election to Mr. Trump, Hillary Clinton remained on the fringes of the party and campaigned for Ms. Harris but did not play a significant role.

John Kerry, who lost to George W Bush in 2004, was appointed secretary of state in the Barack Obama administration and then US climate change representative under the Biden administration.

Other outside contenders for the 2028 nomination, according to the Echelon poll, include Tim Walz, JB Pritzker, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gretchen Whitmer.

The same poll found that among the Republican contenders for the 2028 nomination, JD Vance was the most popular with 37% of the vote.

He was followed by Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, both with 9 percent support, and Ron DeSantis, with 8 percent support.