Kamala Devi Harris
Born: Oct. 20, 1964
Political Party: Democratic Party
Current Position: U.S. Senator from California (2017-present)
Past Positions: District Attorney of San Francisco from 2004-2011, California Attorney General from 2011-2017
Education: Law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law; Bachelor's degree from Howard University
Harris dropped out of the Democratic race in December 2019. Joe Biden selected her as his vice presidential running mate on Aug. 11, 2020.
Kamala Harris cemented her approach as a candidate long before she stormed onto the national scene. As a county prosecutor in the 1990s, she introduced herself in the courtroom as "Kamala Harris, for the people." Years later, she reprised that slogan for her 2020 presidential campaign before being named Joe Biden's vice presidential running mate.
Harris, a federal prosecutor turned U.S. senator from California, has defined herself as a "fighter" who can go head-to-head with President Donald Trump.
Since announcing her 2020 bid, Harris has embraced her time in law enforcement, arguing that she knows how to "prosecute" the case against Trump. Her legal career gave her a platform to pursue her "life's work" of criminal justice reform. But Harris, who has emerged as a top-tier candidate, is also having to reckon with some criticism from progressives about her prosecutorial record and other positions as the growing base of the Democratic Party strives for ideological purity and systematic government changes.
In 2004, Harris became the first female and first person of color to serve as district attorney of San Francisco. Seven years later, she became the first female, first black and first Asian American attorney general in California. If she wins the White House in 2020, she'd make presidential history as the first female, the first African American woman and the first Indian American.
With deep roots in California, Harris has inherent advantages in the delegate-rich state that moved up its primary to be included in the high-stakes Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses on March 3. She boasts one of the largest staffing operations in California as well as a network of Hollywood donors. But California's primary is seen as a wide-open race.
Harris has deep ties to former President Barack Obama. The relationship dates back to Harris' support of Obama's U.S. Senate race in 2004. Obama returned the favor by endorsing her reelection as district attorney in San Francisco and later when she ran for state attorney general and U.S. senator. Harris made the politically risky move of endorsing Obama over Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primary and later served as his co-chairwoman in California. But Obama has no plans to endorse in the 2020 primary, especially with his second-in-command, former Vice President Joe Biden, in the race.
As a presidential candidate, Harris has rolled out what she calls her "3 a.m. agenda" – issues like low wages and costly health care that she says keep Americans up at night. She has proposed a refundable tax credit for middle class individuals and families, a raise for public school teachers and a tax credit for renters who spend at least 30% of income on rent and utilities.
The biggest thorn in her campaign has been "Medicare for All" and where she stands on the fate of private insurance companies in a potential health care overhaul. She co-sponsored Sanders' Medicare for All bill but now says she's uncomfortable with his government-run plan that would essentially eliminate private insurers.
Harris has landed a spot in the top bracket of the nearly two dozen candidates running for the Democratic nomination, but she's still navigating where she fits in the field and how she vaults to the top spot that Biden has held onto from the start.
Personal History
Harris' parents both emigrated to America – her mother from India and her father from Jamaica – and met at the University of California, Berkeley, while attending graduate school. Her parents divorced when she was 7, but their pursuit for civil rights helped establish the foundation for her career. As children, Harris and her sister, Maya, who now serves as campaign chairwoman, joined their parents at civil rights protests and marches. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a big influence in Harris' life and someone she brings up frequently while campaigning.
Harris said her mother made sure to bring Indian culture into the home but that she acknowledged that Harris and her sister would be seen by others as African American, writing in her autobiography that her mother was "determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women." After high school, Harris attended Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, D.C. She later earned a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Harris has described her approach as a prosecutor as "smart on crime," which is also the title of her 2009 book published during her run for state attorney general. Harris implemented a "Back on Track" reentry program aimed at reducing recidivism rates, particularly when it came to young offenders with drug charges and trying to make sure they didn't end up back in jail.
She has personally opposed capital punishment and attracted praise from criminal justice advocates – and criticism from law enforcement and some prominent lawmakers – for refusing to push the death penalty for the person who killed a San Francisco police officer in 2004. Yet, as attorney general, she said she'd enforce California's death penalty and appealed a court's decision in 2014 that declared the state's death penalty unconstitutional.
Harris has taken heat from critics over certain decisions, with some arguing that she didn't go far enough on key issues. As attorney general, she declined to act against now-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's former company OneWest Bank for violating state foreclosure laws, overruling the recommendation of prosecutors in her office who reportedly recommended a civil enforcement action (She opposed his nomination as Treasury secretary). Harris has expressed regret for the "unintended consequences" of truancy laws that led to arrests and jail time for some parents because their children consistently missed school. But she's also defended her anti-truancy efforts, arguing that children have "a constitutional right to an education."
After a close race for state attorney general, Harris had a much easier path to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2016.
In the first three years of her Senate term, Harris has been a fierce opponent of the Trump administration. And when it comes to legislation, she's focused on criminal justice issues. She proposed bipartisan legislation with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to reform the cash bail system and create a grant program that encourages states to find replacements for money bail. Harris also introduced a reform bill with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler of New York that would among other things decriminalize marijuana at the federal level.
Her position on marijuana has evolved throughout her career: opposing it in 2010, later supporting medical marijuana and ultimately backing recreational use. During a podcast interview, Harris admitted to smoking marijuana in the past.
Beyond legislation, Harris has perhaps made her biggest mark as a fierce questioner during congressional hearings with Trump officials. As a member of the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees, Harris turned heads when grilling then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Her sharp, tactical line of questioning prompted Republican committee chairmen to interrupt her and ask that she be more respectful to the witnesses, which frustrated her Democratic colleagues.
Abortion
Budget and Taxes
Criminal Justice Reform
Education
Energy and Climate
Foreign Policy and National Security
Guns
Health Care and Medicare for All
Immigration
LGBTQ Issues
Minimum Wage
Race and Civil Rights
Trade and Tariffs
Copyright © Persona Publications LLC copyright@2021