In the aftermath of Kamala Harris’s loss to Donald Trump, the search for someone to blame began almost immediately. Fingers turned toward Joe Biden’s late exit, with whispers hardening into accusations as allies tried to explain a defeat that stunned her camp.

Some loyalists argued Harris was never given enough time to define herself before Trump did it for her. Others pushed back, insisting the calendar wasn’t the real problem. The deeper issue, they said, was a country still deeply uneasy—about leadership, power, and change.

Willie Brown, a longtime confidant, voiced what many hesitated to say aloud: the campaign misread the national mood and failed to fully confront the lessons of Hillary Clinton’s loss. Voters’ discomfort with a woman in the Oval Office was underestimated once again.

Still, Brown rejects the idea that this defeat is the end. Like Clinton before her, Harris may emerge reshaped by loss—wiser, tougher, and far from finished. Those eager to write her off, he warned, may be making a familiar mistake.