Kamala Devi Harris (b. October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California) is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from California. Harris was first elected to the Senate in 2016. She became the second Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate and the first Indian American to serve in the chamber.[1]
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced Harris was his running mate on August 11, 2020. He called her "a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants."[2] Harris is the first Black woman to appear on a major party's ticket in the United States.[3]
Harris previously ran for president of the United States, entering the race on January 21, 2019.[4] She suspended her presidential campaign on December 3, 2019, and endorsed Biden on March 8, 2020.[5][6]
Harris is the former attorney general of California. She served in the position from 2011 to 2017.[7] She also served as San Francisco's district attorney from 2004 to 2011.[8]
Biography
Harris was born in Oakland, California, in 1964. She graduated from Howard University with a degree in political science and economics in 1986 and earned her law degree from Hastings College in 1989.[9]
After graduating from law school, Harris joined the office of the Alameda County district attorney, where she worked for eight years as a prosecutor. In 1998, Harris was hired as managing attorney for the San Francisco District Attorney's Career Criminal Unit. She transferred to head the Division on Families and Children in 2000. In 2003, Harris was elected San Francisco District Attorney. She won re-election in 2007.[10]
In 2010, Harris defeated Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (R) to win election as state attorney general, receiving 46% of the vote to Cooley's 45%. She won re-election in 2014 over attorney Ronald Gold (R) with 56% of the vote. In 2016, Harris defeated Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D) to win election to the U.S. Senate seat held by Barbara Boxer (D). She received 62% of the vote to Sanchez's 38%.
In 2009, Harris authored Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer, where she discussed potential changes to the criminal justice system. She wrote The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, a memoir, and Superheroes Are Everywhere, a picture book, in 2018.[11]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Harris' academic, professional, and political career:[12]
2017-Present: U.S. Senator from California
2011-2016: Attorney general of California
2004-2011: District attorney of San Francisco
1990-1998: Deputy district attorney, Alameda County, Calif.
1989: Graduated from the University of California, Hastings with a J.D.
1986: Graduated from Howard University with a B.A.