Is former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s unsuccessful nominee in 2024, running for president again? There are conflicting reports. But here is one historically based, confident prediction: Harris will never again be her party’s presidential standard bearer.

Democrats do not like to renominate their failed former nominees. The last time they tried was in 1956, and it didn’t work. They’ve never done it again.

Adlai Stevenson was the Democratic nominee in 1952, running against Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower won in a landslide, capturing 55% of the popular vote, 39 states and 442 electoral votes. Republicans also won the House and the Senate.

After such a loss, one might think the last thing Democrats would do would be to renominate the candidate who lost so decisively to Eisenhower. Yet that is what Democrats did. After losing the White House, House and Senate, the party had no national leader. Stevenson wanted another chance and actively pursued renomination. No other Democrats mustered much of a campaign against him, and he won the party’s nomination again in 1956.

It was a rematch with Eisenhower, and Stevenson lost again, worse than the first time. This time, Eisenhower won 57% of the vote, 41 states and 457 electoral votes.

In 1956, there were some elderly........

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