A quick guide to Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris, 60, could become the first female president of the US. Here’s all you need to know about her.

She already made history by becoming the vice-president

Harris was Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020 when he defeated Trump in an acrimonious election campaign. She became the first black vice-president and the first woman in the role.

No-one has launched a presidential run this late in the race

Unique circumstances propelled Harris into the contest. Biden stepped aside in July and backed his deputy to take over, giving her an unexpected shot at the White House.

There were no Democratic challengers so what is usually a campaign over 12 to 18 months, taking on party rivals in a gruelling fight for the nomination, has in her case been compressed into less than four months.

She chose Beyonce’s ‘Freedom’ as her campaign anthem

It’s a word that characterises her candidacy. Her central promise is to provide freedom of opportunity to working people through economic prosperity and expanded access to parental leave and childcare.

Harris is also advocating reproductive freedom to women as some states limit access to abortion. She also backs the freedom to vote and freedom from gun violence - while being a gun-owner herself.

Her critics question why as part of the current administration she did not already act on some of these promises, and she has become the target of attacks on the issue of illegal immigration.

Harris ran before and it didn’t go well

In 2019, she took on nearly a dozen Democratic rivals to become the presidential nominee but dropped out before the first primary contest after a lacklustre campaign.

It was surprising because as a senator she had created a lot of buzz and was hotly tipped to do well.

Some of her sharp exchanges in congressional hearings went viral

Before she ran for the White House, some of her biggest moments featured her grilling witnesses in Congress hearings.

One famous example was when she asked Brett Kavanaugh, who was facing questions to become a Supreme Court justice, about abortion.

He was unable to answer when she enquired whether he could think of any laws that gave the government the power to make decisions about men’s bodies.

She was raised by her mother near San Francisco

Cancer researcher and civil rights activist Shyamala Gopalan Harris was the primary carer of the young Kamala after divorcing Jamaican-born Donald Harris.

Shyamala immersed her daughter in her Indian heritage but also took her to a black cultural centre where the young Harris was inspired by trailblazing politician Shirley Chisholm and singer Nina Simone. Harris describes her mother as “the most important person” in her life.

Harris began her career as a prosecutor

After spending five years at school in Montreal where her mother was working, Harris enrolled in the black university, Howard, in Washington DC.

She returned to the West Coast to begin her career as a prosecutor and soon rose through the ranks to become the top lawyer in California. She entered the US Senate in 2017.

She met her husband on a blind date - and married at 48

Entertainment lawyer Doug Emhoff was set up on a date with Harris by a mutual friend, a client of his.

They married in 2014 and she became stepmother to his then teenage children, Cole and Ella, who call her “Momala”.

"Our time as a family is Sunday dinner,” she told Elle magazine. “Cole sets the table and picks the music, Ella makes beautiful desserts, Doug acts as my sous-chef, and I cook."

She has made abortion rights central to her campaign

Harris has pushed for a law that would enshrine reproductive rights nationwide and vowed to fight any moves to reduce abortion access.

She has vowed to address the cost of living by introducing a ban on price-gouging on groceries and help for first-time home buyers.

She has adopted a much stricter position on the southern border where illegal crossings hit record levels a year ago, but she has been criticised for not stemming the flow earlier.

She has vowed to back Ukraine as it tries to repel the Russian invasion but will need the help of Congress to continue US financial support.

Who else is in the running?

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