ESPN Star Stephen A. Smith Says He Felt Like a 'Fool' Voting for Kamala Harris, Then Explains Why He Lost Hope in Democratic Party

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has repeatedly and publicly stated that he regrets voting for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

Smith first openly mentioned feeling like a "d-mn fool" for supporting Harris during a January 2025 appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, stating that voters "fell for the okiedoke.”

"Yes, I voted for her, a lot of people voted for her, but in the end, we end up feeling like d-mn fools, because we supported it. We fell for the okiedoke, as they say. If you had a primary, the likelihood is she would not have been the Democratic nominee," Smith said at the time.

Smith, a registered Independent, explained that he initially voted for Harris because he hoped she could work across the aisle and foster consensus. However, he lost faith in the Democratic Party's direction after the election.

"I also believed that she was the kind of person who… 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 specifically pointed to Harris' October 2024 appearance on The View, where she stated she couldn't think of anything she would have done differently than Joe Biden.

Smith called it an "embarrassing" missed opportunity, arguing that her loyalty to Biden outweighed her campaign's need to separate itself and win the presidency.

"Because when she went on The View and she sat up there and said she couldn't think of anything that she would do differently, something that Sunny Hostin threw up intentionally as a softball for her to knock out of the park. I'm like, when she passed up on that opportunity, this is not a dumb woman. This is a former state attorney general. This is a former senator. This is a former vice president of the United States. She is not dumb. There's only one reason she said that: her loyalty to Joe Biden usurped everything else," Smith said.

The sports commentator added, "And I'm like, 'You trying to win a d--- presidency? This is embarrassing. Do you want the presidency or don't you?'"

In February 2025, veteran political strategist James Carville lashed out at Smith's commentary regarding the Democratic Party, saying, "Stop running your fing mouth off about politics... [Smith doesn't know] his a from a hole in the ground.”

In late 2025, retired NBA player Stephen Jackson publicly called out Smith's double standards and his aggressive tone toward Black political and cultural figures like Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

"Stick to sports you never played. We're not voting for you, bro,” Jackson said.

In April, Hollywood Unlocked founder Jason Lee criticized Smith for "dibbling and dabbling" in politics and cultural takedowns, saying he “needs to stick to sports instead of dibbling and dabbling... and attacking Black women.”

Smith has acknowledged this specific line of criticism himself.

In early 2026, he noted that media critics targeting him for his independent political views are essentially trying to weaponize the infamous "shut up and dribble" phrase to force him back into the sports lane.