Kamala Harris

KAMALA HARRIS

Kamala Harris is the current junior U.S. Senator from California and another rising voice in the Democratic Party. Harris is one of two daughters born to an Indian-American mother and Jamaican-American father and grew up in Berkeley and Montreal. Harris attended Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of the Law.

Hastings then worked for the District Attorney's office in Alameda, California. She was next elected District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco. During her tenure, she instated a program that enabled first time drug offenders to earn their GED and helped them enter the workforce. She also created a Hate Crimes unit to specifically combat discrimination cases.

In 2010, Harris announced her candidacy for Attorney General of California and won. She was reelected in 2014 and held the position until she was elected junior Senator after Barbara Boxer announced she was stepping down.

In the Know

Harris has been an advocate for gun control throughout her career. She also opposes the death penalty, which proved controversial during her time as District Attorney because she elected not to seek the death penalty for a man convicted of killing a San Francisco police officer.

Harris's popularity in California is partially due to her mortgage relief settlement during her first year as Attorney General. Harris helped organize a settlement deal with five major banks involved in the housing crisis that awarded $18.4 billion dollars of mortgage relief to homeowners.

Harris is also an outspoken supporter of gay marriage.

2017 Headlines

Harris has been outspoken about protecting immigrants and immigrant families. She helped file legislation that would create a path for illegal farm workers to obtain green cards and ultimately citizenship.

During Attorney General Jeff Sessions' confirmation hearing, Harris took to the Senate floor with an impassioned speech against his nomination in which she discussed the numerous shootings of black citizens by police officers.

Harris has been an active voice in the resistance and spoke at the women's march on Washington. She has taken a more outspoken role than most first-term senators, in particular using social media as part of her outreach.

Since Trump's election, rumors have been buzzing that Harris will be the next woman to seek the Presidency.

Fun Fact

Her name means "lotus flower" in Sanskrit, but that doesn't make her dainty; looks like a flower, stings like a bee.