Kamala Harris urges Democrats to become ‘too big to rig.’ She says the party needs to ‘revisit the Electoral College’ for future presidential wins

Kamala Harris is pushing for a major shift in Democratic strategy, calling for the party to adopt a mindset of being “too big to rig” in future presidential cycles. During a recent appearance at the National Urban League Conference in Nashville, as reported by The Hill, she laid out a series of bold proposals that she believes are necessary for Democrats to secure future wins.

The former vice president suggested that it is time to revisit the Electoral College. She acknowledged that the topic is sensitive, stating, “I know this is going to be controversial coming from me in particular — we need to revisit the Electoral College.”

This idea comes on the heels of the 2024 election where she lost the Electoral College to President Trump by a margin of 312 to 226. President Trump also secured the popular vote by more than 2 million votes, marking the first time a Republican has achieved that feat in two decades.

Harris emphasized that the party must shift its tactical approach to be more effective

She noted that the phrase “too big to rig” was borrowed from President Trump during his 2024 campaign efforts. While explaining her vision, she said, “It means being ruthless — they are ruthless.” She was quick to clarify her definition of the term by saying, “We need to be ruthless too, and by that, I do not mean cruel. That is not our nature. By that I do not mean breaking the law. That is not what we do. But I do mean we must be uncompromising, and we must allow for a real conversation about revisiting certain things.”

Beyond the Electoral College, Harris brought up other structural changes that have long been debated within the party. She advocated for expanding the Supreme Court to 13 justices to match the 13 District Courts. She also suggested that the party should revisit the possibility of granting statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. These ideas have historically been opposed by Republican lawmakers, and they largely moved to the background during the Biden administration.

The conversation around expanding the high court is not entirely new, though it has seen varying levels of support. During the 2020 cycle, candidates like Senator Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg mentioned the idea as a way to address the conservative supermajority.

While President Biden did establish a commission to study the court, the final report avoided taking a definitive stance on whether expansion was valid or strong. Interestingly, some of Harris’s allies are shifting their own positions on the matter. California Governor Gavin Newsom, for instance, previously opposed court expansion but expressed openness to the idea of 13 justices during a June interview with Brian Tyler Cohen.

Public opinion on these electoral systems remains mixed. Data from a Pew Research Center poll conducted in September 2024 indicated that 63 percent of Americans would prefer the presidential winner to be the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide. However, more than 3 in 10 Americans still prefer to keep the Electoral College in its current form.