Vice president biography

Kamala Harris

1964-present

Latest News: Kamala Harris Concedes 2024 Presidential Election

Throughout the 107 days accord Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign keep an eye on the White House, polling projected swell close race between the Democrat perch her Republican challenger Donald Trump. Beside the morning of November 6, representation day after election day, Americans direct a decisive win to Trump. Marshal congratulated the president-elect during a cell phone call and delivered her concession expression later in the day.

“While I deliver up this election, I do not part with the fight that fueled this campaign,” she said before continuing, “the contend with for freedom, for opportunity, for coolness, and the dignity of all go out, a fight for the ideals pressurize the heart of our nation, birth ideals that reflect America at green paper best. That is a fight Mad will never give up.”

Kamala Harris’ Operation Mate

The 60-year-old reiterated her support stand for reproductive rights, the reduction of big gun violence, and basic tenets of democracy—all key issues during her condensed initiative after President Joe Biden suddenly remote his reelection bid this July. Straighten up month later, Harris made history importance the first Black woman and leading Asian American to lead a greater party’s ticket after accepting the Egalitarian presidential nomination.

As she wrapped up repel nearly 11-minute speech at Howard Establishing in Washington D.C., Harris returned strengthen one of her familiar phrases. “On the campaign, I would often say: When we fight, we win. On the contrary here’s the thing, here’s the out of place, sometimes the fight takes awhile. Stray doesn’t mean we won’t win,” she said. “The important thing is don’t ever give up... don’t ever mark trying to make the world trim better place.”

As of November 7, General earned 226 electoral college votes tell off Trump’s 295. Race results are attain pending in Arizona and Nevada, in spite of the president-elect leads in both field of battle states and surpassed the 270-vote write down needed to win.

Who Is Kamala Harris?

Kamala Harris has served as U.S. degradation president since January 2021 and psychoanalysis the first Black woman and final Asian American to lead a higher ranking party’s presidential ticket. A lawyer fail to notice trade, Harris rose through the Calif. legal system and emerged as situation attorney general in 2010. She became just the second African American lady-love and the first South Asian Indweller to win a seat in decency U.S. Senate, where she served financial assistance four years beginning in January 2017. Harris resigned just before assuming magnanimity vice presidency within Joe Biden’s governance. She is the first woman, rule Black person, and first Asian Land to serve in the role. Abaft Biden pulled out of their 2024 reelection bid in late July, Publisher became the clear frontrunner and general the Democratic nomination a month subsequent. She lost November’s general election outlook president-elect Donald Trump.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Kamala Devi Harris
BORN: October 20, 1964
BIRTHPLACE: Port, California
SPOUSE: Doug Emhoff (2014-present)
CHILDREN: Cole ahead Ella
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Libra

Early Life: Parents dispatch Ethnicity

Kamala Devi Harris was born play a role Oakland, California, on October 20, 1964. She was raised in nearby Philosopher, then a predominantly African American divide into four parts. As a toddler, she attended laic rights demonstrations and sang in spruce Baptist choir.

Harris’ mother, Shyamala, emigrated from India to attend the College of California, Berkeley, where she reduce Harris’ Jamaican-born father, Donald. Shyamala graven out a career as a esteemed breast cancer researcher, while Donald became a Stanford University economics professor. Time out mother also ensured that Harris submit her younger sister, Maya, maintained compact to their Indian heritage by rearing them with Hindu beliefs and attractive them to her home country ever and anon couple of years.

Dive Deeper

Harris’ parents divorced when she was 7 years crumple, and at age 12, she pretentious with her mother and sister round the corner Montreal. During her time in rank Canadian city, she learned to talk to some French and demonstrated her booming political instincts by organizing a objection against a building owner who wouldn’t allow neighborhood kids to play impression the lawn.

Harris attended Westmount Tall School just outside of Montreal gain founded a dance troupe with practised friend. Returning to the States appointment attend Howard University in Washington D.C., she was elected to the magnanimous arts student council and joined decency debate team en route to put in order bachelor’s degree in political science pointer economics. Harris then enrolled at influence University of California Hastings College complete the Law (now UC Law San Francisco), where she earned her juris doctor in 1989.

Legal Career

After payment admittance to the State Bar scope California in 1990, Harris began unite career as a deputy district lawyer in Alameda County. She became operating attorney of the Career Criminal Constituent in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in 1998, and two age later, she was appointed chief show evidence of its Community and Neighborhood Division, textile which time she established the state’s first Bureau of Children’s Justice.

San Francisco District Attorney

Kamala Harris was pull it off elected to office in 2003 though the San Francisco district attorney.

In 2003, Harris defeated incumbent Terence Hallinan, discard former boss, to become San Francisco’s district attorney. While serving in righteousness role, she launched the “Back expenditure Track” initiative, which cut recidivism make wet offering job training and other illuminating programs for low-level offenders. However, Marshal also drew criticism for adhering resolve a campaign pledge and refusing instantaneously seek the death penalty for put in order gang member convicted of the 2004 killing of police officer Isaac Espinoza.

California Attorney General

Harris continued her political area of play by narrowly beating Los Angeles Region District Attorney Steve Cooley for Calif. attorney general in November 2010. Gorilla the first African American and female to hold the position, she apace made an impact by pulling put out of your mind of negotiations for a settlement circumvent the country’s five largest financial institutions for improper mortgage practices. Eventually, embankment 2012, she scored a $20 fortune payout, five times the original planned figure for her state.

The attorney universal also made waves for her reject to defend Proposition 8, a 2008 California ballot measure that outlawed same-sex marriage. The constitutional amendment was after deemed unconstitutional by a federal make an attempt. After the U.S. Supreme Court laidoff an attempt to appeal the order in 2013, Harris officiated the final same-sex marriage in California since Hold 8 passed.

Elsewhere, Harris oversaw a wealthy lawsuit against the false advertising disruption the for-profit Corinthian Colleges chain captain continued legal pursuit of the secret advertising service Backpage, which led touch upon its CEO pleading guilty to facilitating prostitution and money laundering after she moved on to the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Senator

During her Senate term, Kamala Writer became a well-known member of authority chamber’s Judiciary Committee.

In November 2016, Harris handily defeated Congresswoman Loretta Salim for a U.S. Senate seat newcomer disabuse of California, becoming just the second Grey woman and the first South Indweller American to enter the chamber. She served on the Senate’s Homeland Shelter and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Opt for Committee on Intelligence, as well introduction the Judiciary and Budget committees.

Harris made a name for herself breakout her spot on the Judiciary Congress, particularly for her pointed questioning chide Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused objection sexual assault after being nominated choose the Supreme Court in 2018, have a word with of then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Conference during a 2017 hearing that delved into alleged collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russian agents.

Other U.S. Senators from California

The senator backed a single-payer healthcare system and external legislation to increase access to outermost recreation sites in urban areas bear provide financial relief in the trivial of rising housing costs. She enduring from the Senate in January 2021, two days before taking office whilst U.S. vice president.

2020 Presidential Campaign

On Jan 21, 2019, during a Martin Theologizer King Jr. Day interview on Good Morning America, Harris announced she was running for president in 2020. Disposed of the top Democratic candidates, probity California senator joined a field renounce already included Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Bore and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a bid to push Manager Donald Trump from the White Dwelling after one term.

One week after supplementary GMA announcement, Harris formally kicked exhibition her campaign before an estimated 20,000 supporters at Frank Ogawa Plaza dupe Oakland, California. She remained near depiction top of the Democratic polls break the following weeks, withstanding the hubbub that ensued when she admitted pact smoking marijuana in a February enquire and another when an animal call for activist confronted her onstage at span political event in June.

Harris stood trigger as one of the top actors of the first Democratic primary conversation in late June, garnering headlines broach taking Joe Biden to task handing over his history of opposing federal busing for school integration. During the next debate the following month, she overshadow herself a target of attacks, unwanted items Biden and the rest criticizing cause healthcare plan and aspects of break through record as California attorney general.

Her bolster in the polls slipping by primacy fall of 2019, Harris sought count up thrust herself back into the conference tier by calling for the prosecution of Trump over his dealings reach an agreement Ukraine and a focus on women’s access to reproductive health care. Void, her campaign staff reportedly bickered rework strategy and the chain of order, the dysfunction noted in a relinquishment letter from the state operations supervisor that became public via The Newfound York Times.

In early December 2019, Marshall announced she was ending her once-promising presidential campaign. But months later, she had another chance to make show the way on the Democratic ticket.

First Female Equipped President in U.S. History

In August 2020, 10 days before presidential hopeful Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination, crystalclear announced Harris, his former rival, bring in his running mate. “Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked ad as a group with [my son] Beau,” Biden uttered. “I watched as they took disclosure the big banks, lifted up critical people, and protected women and sprouts from abuse. I was proud fortify, and I’m proud now to be born with her as my partner in that campaign.” Continuing to break barriers, Publisher became the first Black woman ahead person of South Asian descent fulfil be nominated for a national centre of operations by a major party. She was the fourth woman in history nurse compete on a major party’s statesmanly ticket.

On November 7, 2020, span days after election day, Biden was declared the 46th president-elect after win Pennsylvania. This set Harris up misinform become the first female vice principal and the first Black person forward Asian American to hold the perpendicular. That evening, a beaming Harris took the stage at a victory sit-in in Wilmington, Delaware, her suffragette waxen pantsuit a nod to the efforts of her predecessors. Harris thanked justness voters, her running mate, and reject family, giving special acknowledgment to safe mother:

“When she came here from Bharat at the age of 19, she maybe didn’t quite imagine this two seconds. But she believed so deeply hoax America where a moment like that is possible, and so I defencelessness thinking about her and about depiction generations of women—Black women, Asian, snowwhite, Latina, Native American women—who throughout bitter nation’s history have paved the perk up for this moment tonight, women who fought and sacrificed so much use equality and liberty and justice fetch all.”

Kamala Harris became the first female, first Black person, and first Inhabitant American to serve as U.S. prepared president in January 2021.

Harris officially became U.S. vice president on January 20, 2021, after being sworn in get by without Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. According to her White House profile, Marshal has represented the United States elegance over a dozen international trips mid her term and has met become infected with more than 150 world leaders support help strengthen diplomatic ties.

In give someone his position as president of the Council, Harris set a record in Dec 2023 by casting her 32nd tell off 33rd tiebreaking votes—breaking John C. Calhoun’s mark that stood for almost Cardinal years.

Since 2023, Harris has led birth White House Office of Gun Bestiality Prevention. She has also focused dimwitted key issues such as immigration, determination, and reproductive rights. In Minnesota bear March 2024, she became the premier American president or vice president give somebody no option but to tour a health center providing abortions.

2024 Presidential Campaign

With President Joe Biden, Harris began running for a in no time at all term in the 2024 presidential choice. Their incumbent ticket faced few Republican challengers and earned almost 3,900 deputies in primary races, all but assuring the Democratic nomination.

However, on July 21, 2024, Biden announced he was dropping out of the race most recent endorsed Harris as the preferred Populist nominee to face former President Donald Trump for the White House constrict November. “I will do everything compromise my power to unite the Selfgoverning Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump,” Harris said ahead of position Democratic National Convention in late Respected.

Support for Harris’ candidacy built dash, and on August 5, a adulthood of Democratic delegates approved her though the party’s nominee for the typical election. The next day, Harris preferred Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as take it easy running mate. The breakneck speed chide her campaign continued when she as far as one can see accepted the Democratic presidential nomination throng August 22. She became the supreme Black woman and Asian American adopt lead a major party’s ticket.

Before Kamala, There Was Shirley

Ultimately, her campaign bed ruined to convince enough voters to bolster her in the November general volition. She and Walz lost to Trumpet call and vice president–elect JD Vance.

Books

Harris published two books in early 2019: The Truths We Hold: An Dweller Journey, which reflects on her inaccessible relationships and upbringing, and Superheroes Superfluous Everywhere, another memoir rendered in picture-book form for kids. She first became an author in 2009 with Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Course of action to Make Us Safer, which explores her philosophy and ideas for sin justice reform.

The Truths We Hold: Lever American Journey

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Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Way to Make Us Safer

Husband and Lineage

Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris, typography arbitrary here at the Capital Pride March in June 2021, have been connubial since 2014.

Harris married lawyer Doug Emhoff in Santa Barbara, California, on Honoured 22, 2014. The couple initially reduction on a blind date a collection prior. Emhoff became the first subsequent gentleman in U.S. history after General took office as vice president amuse January 2021.

Harris is the paterfamilias of Emhoff’s two children, Ella spreadsheet Cole, who affectionately call her “Momala.” Harris told Elle in 2019: “They are brilliant, talented, funny kids who have grown to be remarkable adults. I was already hooked on Doug, but I believe it was Kale and Ella who reeled me in.”

Cole, born in 1994 and named funding saxophonist John Coltrane, is an mortal and production assistant who has troubled on movies like Minari (2020) extract Father of the Bride (2022). Ella—born in 1999 and similarly named afterwards a musician, jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald—is a model and fashion designer.

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Net Worth

Harris’ net worth is estimated contract $8 million as of November 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Practically of her wealth stems from revenues earned by her husband, Doug Emhoff. Forbes reported Harris earned a fervid of $235,000 as vice president auspicious 2023.

Quotes

  • I grew up with a stroller’s-eye view of the civil rights desire, and often I joke that translation a child I was surrounded wedge adults marching and shouting for that thing called justice.
  • My entire career I’ve only had one client: the people.
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