Securing the nomination is just the first step on a political to-do list for her following Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, which she learned of in a phone call with the president on Sunday morning. If she does secure the nomination, she must also choose a running mate and launch a massive political operation to boost her candidacy over Biden’s with just over 100 days to go until Election Day.
Harris praised the president’s “selfless and patriotic act” in endorsing her as a candidate. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party – and unite our nation,” she wrote in a statement.
Kamala Harris’ background and education: daughter of immigrants
Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, to immigrant parents: her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was from India, and her father, Donald Harris, was from Jamaica. This multicultural heritage deeply influenced her identity and her approach to social justice and equity. The vice president says that as a child, she demonstrated for civil rights alongside her father, an economics professor, and her mother, a breast cancer researcher.
Educated at Howard University, a historically African-American institution, Harris graduated with degrees in political science and economics. She then earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, where she began to forge her path toward a career in law and politics.
Political career: prosecution and civil rights
Harris’s early political career focused on the prosecutor’s office, where she proved to be a tireless advocate for justice and civil rights. In 2003, she became the San Francisco District Attorneythe first woman and the first person of color to hold that office. Then, in 2010, she became the Attorney General of California, where she faced significant challenges and earned recognition for her firmness in defending consumer rights, workers’ rights, and environmental protection.
Her tenacity and ability to tackle complex problems with pragmatic solutions catapulted her onto the national stage. In January 2017, she was sworn into the Senate in Washington, where she became the first woman of South Asian descent and only the second black senator in history.
After two terms as District Attorney in San Francisco (2004-2011), she was twice elected Attorney General of California (2011-2017), becoming the first woman and the first black person to head the judicial services of the most populous state in the country.
She has been criticized for her crackdown on petty crime, which opponents say hurt minorities.
Vice-presidency and political future
In 2020, Kamala Harris made history by becoming the first woman, the first person of Asian descent, and the first African-American woman to be elected vice president of the United States. Her election was a milestone for diversity and representation in American government, marking a turning point in national politics.
Once vice president, she dedicated her victory speech to women who have fought for equality in the country. In 2022, Harris fervently defended the right to abortion, which was called into question by the Supreme Court.
“Some Republican leaders are trying to use the law against women. How dare they! How dare they tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body!” she said.
This powerful statement and Kamala Harris’s vigorous campaign across the country over the past year have given her new momentum.
At the beginning of his term, he made some mistakes on issues of diplomacy and immigration.
Her political platform focuses on reforming the criminal justice system, expanding access to health care, and protecting the rights of women and minorities.
Vogue magazine had to defend itself for having chosen, shortly after the election, a photo of the vice president in sneakers for its cover, instead of a more formal portrait, which would have put more emphasis on her position.
She cultivates a relaxed image, with the help of her husband Doug Emhoff, a Jewish lawyer who acts as “Second Gentleman.” He is one of the White House’s main assets in the fight against anti-Semitism.
Reactions and forecasts
The Democratic Group of ActBlue Fundraising said Sunday it had recorded its highest single-day fundraising haul for the 2024 election after US President Joe Biden dropped his candidacy and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris to succeed him.
“As of 9:00 p.m. (01:00 GMT), grassroots supporters have raised $46.7 million through ActBlue following the launch of Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy. This was the largest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle,” the group said on social media.
On Sunday afternoon, the Biden campaign formally changed her name to “Harris for President,” reflecting that she is inheriting a political operation of more than 1,000 staffers and a fund that totaled nearly $96 million as of the end of June.
Daniella Levine-CavaMiami-Dade County Mayor Levine-Cava shared her satisfaction at learning that Harris is a possible presidential candidate. Levine-Cava, the first woman to lead the city, said on social media: “Four years ago we made history in Miami-Dade with my election as the first female mayor; now I am energized to break another glass ceiling this November with Vice President Kamala Harris as our first Madam President.”
The US representative Frederica WilsonD-Miami Gardens, praised Biden for his accomplishments on infrastructure, student debt relief, climate justice and lowering the cost of insulin but said “we must now turn our attention to uniting behind Kamala Harris.”
US Senate candidate, Debbie Mucarsel-Powellwho is challenging Republican Sen. Rick Scott, called on Democrats to “stay united behind Vice President Kamala Harris and continue to fight for freedom, democracy and opportunity.”
State Senator Shevrin Joneschairwoman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, said: “It’s time for Democrats to unite in support of Vice President Kamala Harris. She is the leader we need.”
In addition, the US representative Lois Frankela Democrat from West Palm Beach, stressed the importance of “protecting reproductive freedom.”
State Senator Lauren Bookthe leader of the Democrats in the Florida Senate, emphasized Harris’ “fight for women’s reproductive freedom,” noting that Harris “has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to justice, equality and progress.”
“Yes, there is a process to go through and, yes, she has to earn it. But she earned it in many ways when Biden chose her to be his vice president,” said the former senator from Missouri. Claire McCaskill an MSNBC.
The governor of California, the Democrat Gavin Newsomon Sunday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace Joe Biden as his party’s candidate in the November presidential election, eliminating a potential heavyweight rival.
“With our democracy at stake and our future in focus, no one is better positioned than Vice President @KamalaHarris to stand against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction,” Newsom wrote on social media.
The ex-president Bill Clinton and his wife and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday praised Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of his bid for re-election to the White House and backed Kamala Harris to replace him.
In a statement, the Clintons praise Biden’s “extraordinary career of service” and endorse Harris as the Democratic nominee. “We will do everything we can to support her,” they insist. “Nothing worries us more for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term. He has promised to be a dictator from day one,” they added.
Vice President Kamala Harris, backed by Joe Biden to replace him in the electoral race, will be “even worse” for the United States than the Democratic president, the White House accused on Sunday. Republican candidate Donald Trump’s campaign team.
“Harris will be even worse for the people of our nation than Joe Biden. Harris has been corrupt Joe’s enabler-in-chief this entire time,” he said in a statement.
He Kremlin On Monday, he merely highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’s “unfriendly rhetoric” towards Russia.
“We cannot assess Harris’s potential candidacy (…) because so far her contribution to our relations has not been significant. She has made statements with rather unfriendly rhetoric towards our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Asked again about Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race for re-election as president, Peskov noted that nothing surprises Russia anymore when it comes to the United States. “Honestly, everything that has happened in the United States in recent years has taught us not to be surprised by anything. So we were not surprised” by Biden’s withdrawal from the race for the White House, the spokesman said.
Peskov also reiterated, as he had said the day before after the US president’s announcement, that Russia’s priority is to defeat Ukraine. “It is not up to us to judge President Biden’s decision,” he said. “The development of Russian-American relations is important, but the main thing is to achieve the objectives of the special military operation,” the spokesman said, using the euphemism that Russian authorities often use to talk about the offensive in Ukraine.
Donna Pattersona professor at Delaware State University, believes that his departure has injected “energy” into the campaign.
“In the hours since the announcement, and with Biden’s endorsement, a Kamala Harris presidential candidacy seems most likely,” he added.
“Whoever the Democrats nominate – and I’m pretty sure it will be Harris – will have challenges,” he said. Donald Niemanpolitical analyst and professor at Binghamton University in New York State.
The spokesperson for Vox, Jose Antonio Fustersaid on Monday that Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the candidacy “comes four years too late.” On the possibility of Harris replacing Biden, Fúster said that the Democratic Party “is looking for the worst person to lose by the largest possible number of votes against a giant.”
Source: AFP / AP / Europe Press