Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris speaks at a marketing campaign occasion, on her first joint look with presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden after being named by Biden as his operating mate, at Alexis Dupont Excessive Faculty in Wilmington, Delaware, August 12, 2020.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., has turn out to be the primary girl and first particular person of coloration to earn the title of vice president-elect after NBC Information projected former Vice President Joe Biden to be the president-elect on Saturday.
Harris’ victory represents many firsts to return to the White Home. Because the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, she would be the first girl and first particular person to establish as Black and as South Asian-American within the position of vp. An alumna of Howard College, she would be the first vp to have graduated from a traditionally Black school and be a member of a Black sorority.
Harris ran her personal presidential marketing campaign this 12 months earlier than becoming a member of the Democratic ticket as Biden’s operating mate. At 56, the position positions her to be a robust contender for the presidency in future elections ought to she select to run once more.
Harris made her mark in politics in California, the place she served as San Francisco district lawyer earlier than occurring to turn out to be lawyer normal of the state — the primary African-American to serve in that position.
Harris’ background as a prosecutor has made her a goal of criticism from progressives looking for legal justice reform. However Harris has argued she’s sought reform from inside her roles as a prosecutor.
As San Francisco DA, she promised to by no means search the demise penalty. She stored that promise even when prosecuting an individual accused of killing a San Francisco Police Division officer, angering her political allies.
However she additionally took warmth for different insurance policies corresponding to a marketing campaign to fight truancy in San Francisco in an effort to scale back crime.
Harris took her prosecutorial chops to the U.S. Senate after being elected in 2016. Her abilities helped her turn out to be a troublesome interrogator in affirmation hearings for individuals like Legal professional Basic William Barr and Supreme Court docket Justice Brett Kavanaugh as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. She additionally serves on committees for Intelligence, Homeland Safety and Finances.
All through the marketing campaign, Harris has shared a quote from her mom, Shyamala, who she stated would typically inform her, “you could be the primary to do many issues, however be sure to will not be the final.”
Following a number of information networks’ projection of Biden and Harris’ victory, the vice president-elect wrote on Twitter that the election is “in regards to the soul of America and our willingness to struggle for it. Now we have quite a lot of work forward of us. Let’s get began.”
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