Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris (born October 20, 1964)[2][3] is an American politician and attorney. Since 2021, she has been the 49th vice president of the United States under President Joe Biden. She is the first female ever in U.S. history elected to this office. Before becoming vice president, she was a United States senator from California from 2017 until 2021.[4] Harris was the 32nd attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 and the 27th district attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.[5] Harris is a member of the Democratic Party.[6]
Kamala Harris | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| 49th Vice President of the United States | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2021 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Mike Pence |
| United States Senator from California | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 18, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Barbara Boxer |
| Succeeded by | Alex Padilla |
| 32nd Attorney General of California | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Governor | Jerry Brown |
| Preceded by | Jerry Brown |
| Succeeded by | Xavier Becerra |
| 27th District Attorney of San Francisco | |
| In office January 8, 2004 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Terence Hallinan |
| Succeeded by | George Gascón |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kamala Devi Harris[a] October 20, 1964 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Douglas Emhoff (m. 2014) |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Harris family |
| Residence | Number One Observatory Circle |
| Education | Howard University (BA) University of California, Hastings (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | whitehouse.gov |
| Kamala Harris speaks on the Americans with Disabilities Act Recorded July 26, 2021 | |
On January 21, 2019, Harris announced her candidacy for president of the United States in the 2020 presidential election. She ended her campaign on December 3, 2019. After Joe Biden won the nomination, he picked Harris as his running mate for vice president.[7] They won the election on November 7 and were inaugurated on January 20, 2021. This made Harris the highest ranking elected woman in American history. Harris is also the first Asian and African American vice president.
Early life and education
Harris was born at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland, California.[8][9] She is Tamil Indian American and Jamaican American. Her parents are Shyamala Gopalan Harris (Chennai-born native Tamilian) and Donald Harris. Both Shyamala and Donald Harris studied at the University of California, Berkeley. Harris' parents divorced in 1971. In 1976, Harris moved to Canada with her mother and sister. Harris went to college at Howard University in 1986 and got a degree in political science.
Political and legal career
In 1989, Harris became a lawyer after studying at Hastings College of Law at the University of California. She worked in the office of the District Attorney of Alameda in 1990. In 1998, Harris left to work for the District Attorney’s office in San Francisco. In 2003, Harris became the District Attorney of San Francisco.
She worked as the attorney general of California until 2017 when she became a senator for California.[10]
At the start of 2016, Harris said that she would attempt to become senator after Barbara Boxer said that she would not work as a senator for the next term. Harris won the position in 2016 and became a senator on January 3, 2017.[11]
2020 presidential campaign
On January 21, 2019, she officially announced her campaign for President of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election.[12] After months of falling polling numbers and low campaign money raised, she ended her campaign on December 3, 2019.[13]
On August 11, 2020, Biden picked Harris as his running mate. On November 7, the Biden-Harris ticket beat the Trump-Pence ticket making her the vice president-elect.[14][15][16]
Vice President, 2021–present
Harris became the 49th vice president of the United States on January 20, 2021.[17] She is the first female vice president in the United States, the highest-ranking female elected official in U.S. history, and the first African-American and first Asian-American vice president.[18][19] She is also the second person of color to hold the post. The first was Charles Curtis, who was a Native American and member of the Kaw Nation.[20]
Harris cast her first of two tie-breaking votes on February 5, 2021. In February and March, Harris' tie-breaking votes in her role as President of the Senate were needed to pass the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 stimulus package proposed by President Biden because no Republicans in the Senate voted for the package.[21][22]
In April 2021, Harris said that she was the last person in the room before President Biden decided to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan and commented that the president was brave for making this "difficult decision".[23]
Biden put Harris in charge of immigration. Harris visited Guatemala and Mexico to see why there was an increase in immigration, mainly from Central America to the United States.[24] During her visit, she said "I want to be clear to folks in the region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come. Do not come".[25]
On November 19, 2021, Harris served as acting president from 10:10 am to 11:35 am while President Biden underwent a "routine colonoscopy".[26] Harris became the third vice president as well as the first female vice president to serve as acting president.[27][28] Kamala Harris again joining Biden for re-election as his Vice President.[29]
Personal life
In 2014, Harris married lawyer Doug Emhoff. Emhoff and Harris have homes in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.[30]
Awards and honors
In 2020, both Harris and Biden were named Time Person of the Year.[31]
