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Stephen A. Smith said on Wednesday’s episode of “The Sage Steele Show” that he regrets voting for former Vice President Kamala Harris, telling Sage Steele he initially believed Harris could work across the aisle before concluding Democrats still did not understand why they lost.
Steele asked Smith about his comments prior to the 2024 election on Dave Rubin’s show about voting for former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“You went on his show, and you said that you voted for Kamala Harris?” she asked.
“Yes,” Smith responded.
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Stephen A. Smith joined Bill Maher on the March 27 episode of “Real Time,” discussing politics and who could potentially lead both parties going forward. (Real Time with Bill Maher/YouTube)
Steele then added, “And that you regretted it,” to which Smith answered, “Yeah.”
Smith went on to explain that he cast that vote because he believed Harris was capable of compromise, but said he later concluded Democrats still did not understand why they lost.
“I also believed that she was the kind of person that… could work across the aisle,” Smith said. “And then when I saw how things were unfolding and how out in the clouds the Democratic Party was even after they lost the election, I just said, ‘There’s no hope.’”
He added, “I said, ‘I don’t know what the hell I was thinking about believing that you all would get it, because you still don’t get it.’”
Smith repeatedly framed his decision through the lens of how government should function. He told Steele he is “completely and adamantly against one-party rule” and said he prefers divided government, with one party in the White House and the other controlling at least one chamber of Congress.
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Stephen A. Smith appears as a guest on “The View.” (Lou Rocco/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. via Getty Images)
However, Smith said he still viewed Harris as someone Congress could pressure into consensus-driven governing, unlike President Donald Trump, whom he described as uniquely powerful and harder to restrain.
“I knew that they would be able to compel her to do that,” he said of Congress. “Which would make the American people feel comfortable about whatever decision was being made because we’re understanding that things are being run from a consensus perspective.”
“Trump was the latter,” he said. “Trump was different in that regard. I wasn’t comfortable with that because it’s him.”
Smith added that if Republicans had nominated another candidate, his vote may have been different.
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Host Stephen A. Smith in conversation with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at a SiriusXM Town Hall event at SiriusXM Studio on Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
“If it was Marco Rubio in there, I’d have voted for Marco Rubio in a heartbeat,” he said. “I would have voted for Nikki Haley in a heartbeat without question.”
Steele challenged Smith on why he was so critical of Democrats after the election if he still voted for Harris in November. Smith pushed back, saying he had been publicly warning for a long time that Biden needed to step aside.
“Who was the person that went on the air a year and a half ago and said we need a new president. Biden’s got to go. That was me,” Smith said.
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After Steele said there was still “a pull” in Smith to represent “the Black community” and his family, Smith replied, “That’s fair,” adding, “People need to be able to admit that that pull that exists. It’s human.”
Digital reached out to Harris for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
