Kamala Harris is urging Black voters to rethink how they approach elections — not just as civic duty, but as a form of leverage.

As a speaker at the National Action Network Convention in New York City, Harris delivered both a warning and a strategy to a room full of activists, lawmakers and rising political stars. The annual gathering, hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton, has increasingly served as an informal audition stage for potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders.

Harris’ message stood out, even without an official presidential bid announcement.

“I’ve come to the realization that some people are purely transactional,” Harris told the audience. “They’re in it for what they can get out of it and whoever is harmed in the process, so be it.”

Harris pointed to differing voter priorities, contrasting individual economic concerns with broader policy goals. Reporting from the Associated Press following the 2024 presidential election found that many voters who supported Donald Trump were motivated by issues like gas prices and the cost of groceries. Meanwhile, according to the Los Angeles Times, many voters who backed Harris cited concerns about the future of democracy.

With that in mind, Harris suggested voters should be more explicit about what they expect in return for their support.

A suggested voting strategy

“I think we need to be transactional voters,” Harris said. “Get yours. Vote and say, ‘I’m voting because I expect something out of this. You’re not gonna take for granted that I’m gonna vote because I’m a good citizen and it’s my civic duty to vote.’”

Her comments mark a shift from traditional political messaging directed at Black voters, which has long emphasized civic duty, shared struggle, as well as the legacy of the civil rights movement. Harris did not reject that history, but argued it should no longer be the only framework shaping political participation.

Instead, she framed voting as a negotiation, where support must be earned through tangible outcomes, not assumed through loyalty.

A long tradition of collective voting

According to an analysis from Good Authority published just days before the 2024 presidential election, Black voters — particularly Black women — have long been central to democratic participation, often mobilizing around broader struggles for equality and protection of rights.

That tradition dates back to the suffrage era, when Black women organized politically even before they had the right to vote, treating the ballot as a tool for racial uplift and community advancement. It deepened during the civil rights movement, when voting rights became central to the fight for equality, culminating in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which expanded Black voter participation and reshaped American democracy.

In many accounts of Black political history, voting has been described as sacred—an honoring of those who sacrificed their lives simply for the right to cast a ballot.

What ‘transactional voting’ could signal for the future

Harris’ comments come as attention continues to build around her political future. During her appearance, the former vice president did not rule out a 2028 presidential bid.

Within that context, her message of “transactional voting” may signal how she — and potentially the Democratic Party — could approach Black voters in the next two years, with more emphasis on tangible results and policy outcomes.

Her remarks offered a glimpse into how she may be positioning herself moving forward: more direct about political expectations and more focused on results than symbolism and catchy phrases on the campaign trail.

Whether her messaging resonates beyond the convention could shape not only the upcoming midterms, but also Black political power as a whole in the years ahead.