Dem megadonor unleashes reality check on Harris for 2028 while eying socialist firebrand

One of Kamala Harris' biggest billionaire backers in 2024 is already casting doubt on another White House bid — while showing surprising openness to a potential 2028 contender from a very different corner of the Democratic Party.

LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman called another Harris presidential run a "very challenging path" Wednesday before leaving the door open to supporting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and describing the progressive firebrand as "pragmatic."

"It depends a little bit," Hoffman said when asked during POLITICO's Decoded Summit Wednesday in the nation's capital whether he would support Ocasio-Cortez for a 2028 run. "I think she's much more pragmatic than people give her credit for."

The comments mark a notable contrast for Hoffman, who poured millions of dollars into helping elect Harris in 2024 and rallied other Silicon Valley donors behind her campaign after former President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid. Asked Wednesday whether Harris should try again in 2028, Hoffman pointed to what he expects to be a crowded Democratic field.

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"I think it would be a very challenging path for her, and it's going to be a very noisy field," Hoffman said in response.

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Hoffman's answer was not an endorsement, however. He said any potential support for Ocasio-Cortez would depend in part on whom she was running against, before Hoffman laid out the qualities he would look for in a candidate.

"If you're basically kind of pro-society, which she is, and pro-business, which is a question, that tends to be where I think the right focal points are," Hoffman said.

Meanwhile, two years earlier, Hoffman had made a similar case for Harris, pitching her to hundreds of venture capitalists as "a great centrist" who cared about both society and business, according to a report from The Washington Post. 

"She is a great centrist in that she cares about a greater society and cares about business," Hoffman said during a virtual "VCs for Harris" rally in 2024, according to The Washington Post.

Hoffman’s comments this week about Harris' potential 2028 bid also came days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would not seek the presidency if Harris entered the 2028 race. 

Republican strategist Mark Bednar, who previously worked for then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, interpreted the two developments as early signs of uncertainty surrounding Harris' position in the emerging Democratic field.

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"The idea of pouring cold water over Kamala for others to step forward seems to be very real," Bednar told Fox News Digital. "I don't know if it's directly connected to Newsom in that instance, but it's super interesting how it happens the day after."

Bednar, meanwhile, described Newsom's comments about his potential 2028 presidential run as a "smoke signal to Democratic donors" that "you guys are going to have to be the ones that be the bad cop here because I'm just going to be the good cop in public."

"If you read between the lines, he's signaling to his donors and to his prospective donors, ‘Hey, you guys need to do the dirty work to get her out of the race,’" Bednar said.

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Harris, Ocasio-Cortez and Hoffman, but did not receive a response in time for publication.