(Bloomberg) -- Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic Party’s official candidate for the presidency. She clinched the nomination in a virtual roll call vote on Aug. 5 after President Joe Biden said he would not seek reelection. Harris, 59, already had strong appeal with crucial voting blocs for Democrats — as the first woman of color to serve as vice president — but her candidacy has energized the entire party. Polling suggests a much tighter race against the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, than with Biden atop the ticket, and she raised more than $200 million in less than a week as a presidential contender.
What do the polls say about Kamala Harris?
In a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll of swing-state voters conducted in late July, Harris was in a statistical tie with Trump — a stronger showing than Biden before he dropped out of the race. Harris wiped out Trump’s lead across many of the seven battleground states, suggesting the party’s historic gambit to change candidates is having its desired effect. Nonetheless, the race remains a toss-up.
What’s her background?
Kamala Harris is the daughter of an Indian immigrant, her late mother Shyamala Gopalan, and a father from Jamaica, Donald Harris. Her father became a college economics professor and her mother was a breast-cancer researcher, whom Harris often credits as her role model.
In her memoir, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, Harris recalled attending civil-rights protests with her parents as a child — a key source of inspiration for her decision to pursue a career as a lawyer, and subsequently in politics.
Harris identifies as Christian but also attended Hindu temples with her mother growing up. Her husband, Douglas Emhoff, is the first Jewish spouse of a vice president.
Harris attended Howard University and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s oldest Black sorority. She has a law degree from UC Law San Francisco and began her career as a deputy district attorney in Oakland, California in 1990. Early on, she handled domestic violence and child abuse cases.
What did she accomplish before she became vice president?
Harris has been a first in nearly every office she’s held. In 2003, she was the first woman, the first Black person and the first South Asian to be elected San Francisco’s district attorney. In 2010, it was the same when she was elected to serve as California’s attorney general.
Harris has labeled herself a progressive prosecutor, often stating that criminal justice reform is one of her key focuses. That hasn’t spared her from some criticism about her criminal justice record, with some on the left pointing to a rise in convictions during her time as district attorney.
In her 2009 book Smart on Crime, Harris wrote about her philosophy of early intervention and rehabilitation for first-time, nonviolent offenders.
In 2016, she was elected to the US Senate from California. She became the first South Asian senator in history. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Harris became known for her lacerating interrogations of Trump administration officials and nominees.
Harris has had her share of difficulties throughout her career in national politics, including some self-inflicted wounds. Her 2020 presidential campaign started with lofty expectations but flamed out before the Iowa caucuses as she struggled to convey a clear message to voters and her operation was plagued by infighting. Harris bowed out of the race in December 2019. Biden selected her as his running mate in August 2020.
What’s Harris done as vice president?
As vice president, Harris has made unforced errors and sometimes struggled to communicate. She came under fire for her role addressing the root causes of migration as crossings at the US-Mexico border surged. Yet she was never the “border czar,” as Republicans have claimed; the strategy the White House laid out focused on El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Republicans have pounced on her gaffes and have tried to portray her as a ditz. Harris also had high staff turnover early in her term, with some former aides describing her as a demanding boss.
While Harris faltered with parts of her portfolio, she has energized women, especially Black women who power the Democratic base, and younger voters outraged over the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Over the last year, Harris has spoken out against restrictions on abortion and gun violence. The White House deployed her on the offensive to counter political opponents, condemning book bans and new reproductive health limitations. She has traveled the country to speak to constituencies that Biden had struggled with and frequently appears in front of audiences of color and young voters, which polls show are among the most disillusioned blocs of the Democratic base. A common refrain of Harris’ is “I love Gen Z.”
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Who did she chose as a running mate?
Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to serve as her vice president if she’s elected. A veteran of the Army National Guard, Walz was a high school teacher and football coach when he first ran for a seat in the House of Representatives in 2006. He won and served six terms in the House before he was elected governor in 2018. Now in his second term in that position, he has promoted policies that allies have hailed as bolstering working-class families.
Read more:
- Harris Energizes Low-Income Voters Dispirited by Biden Economy
- Harris’ Overambitious Immigration Plan Sets Up Trump Attacks (2)
- Harris Rouses Gen Z Voters Who Planned to Sit Out 2024 Election
- Harris Expands Push to Compete With Trump in Swing States
- Harris Wipes Out Trump’s Swing-State Lead in Election Dead Heat
--With assistance from Gregory Korte and Karen Breslau.
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