Kamala Harris: Who She Is and What She Stands For as Biden's Potential Successor

Democrats are rallying around Vice President Kamala Harris to replace President Joe Biden as the party's candidate following his unexpected decision to withdraw from the presidential race. This move has placed Harris in the spotlight in the final months leading up to the election, just weeks before Democrats formally select their candidate.

Harris has stated her "intention to win this nomination" and pledged to "do everything in her power to unite the Democratic Party" after Biden's announcement. Biden quickly endorsed Harris, offering his "full support and endorsement for Kamala to be our party's candidate this year," surprising many after weeks of negative reactions within his party due to his unstable debate performance, which heightened concerns about his age and health.

Prior to Biden's announcement, Harris was widely expected to be the de facto candidate if he exited the race. As the second most powerful Democrat in the country, she is well-positioned with her reputation as Vice President and control of a $91 million campaign fund. Biden's endorsement likely means that delegates loyal to him will now be inclined to support Harris next month.

Harris’s Political Background In 2016, Harris became the second Black woman ever elected to the Senate. She played a significant role on the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioning Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, including Brett Kavanaugh. She co-sponsored legislation to expand abortion rights, introduced a bill for tax credits for middle and low-income families, and supported a bill following George Floyd's murder to make prosecuting police misconduct easier.

Previously, she served as San Francisco's District Attorney from 2004 to 2010 and as California's Attorney General from 2011 to 2017. In her 2009 book "Smart on Crime," Harris advocated for diversion programs for first-time offenders but also called for more police officers. Progressives criticized her for not adequately investigating police misconduct and overseeing nearly 2,000 marijuana-related convictions as Attorney General.

However, Harris's views on criminal justice evolved. She supported drug decriminalization legislation in the Senate and declared that "no one should go to jail for smoking marijuana" when Biden pardoned thousands of people convicted of federal marijuana possession in 2022.

Harris ran for the 2020 presidential campaign but withdrew before the primaries due to insufficient fundraising. Initially considered a top contender, she faced setbacks, including low polling numbers, progressive criticism of her prosecutorial record, and reports of operational issues within her campaign.

Biden’s Support A coalition of prominent Democrats echoed Biden’s endorsement of Harris, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; and the Congressional Black Caucus PAC.

Biden stated on Sunday that appointing Harris as Vice President was the "best decision" he made, praising her multiple times in recent weeks. At an NAACP convention last week, Biden said Harris "not only is a great vice president but could be president of the United States."

Potential Vice Presidential Candidates Possible running mates for Harris include rising stars within the Democratic Party who were on Biden’s list of potential replacements: California Governor Gavin Newsom, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

Other options are Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA). So far, none have publicly expressed interest in the role.

Kamala Harris’s Family Background Harris was born in Oakland, California. She is the daughter of Shyamala Gopalan from southern India and Donald Harris from Jamaica, making her the first Vice President of Black or South Asian descent. Her parents, graduates of the University of California, Berkeley, divorced when Harris and her younger sister Maya were children.

Gopalan was a breast cancer researcher, and Donald Harris was an economics professor at Stanford University. Her mother passed away in 2009 at age 71; her father is 85. Harris married Douglas Emhoff in 2014, becoming stepmother to his two children from a previous marriage: Cole Emhoff, 30, and Ella Emhoff, 25.

Harris’s Net Worth Harris and Emhoff, a successful entertainment lawyer based in Los Angeles, have an estimated net worth of around $8 million. Their wealth primarily comes from Emhoff’s legal career, which earned him over $1 million annually, book sales from Harris’s publications, and real estate assets, including a multimillion-dollar home in Los Angeles.

Criticisms from Donald Trump On Saturday, Trump addressed a crowd in Grand Rapids, Michigan, saying, "I call her Kamala, the Laugher. Have you seen her laugh? She's crazy... she’s nuts." Pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. released an ad shortly after Biden’s announcement, accusing Harris of helping to conceal Biden’s "mental decline." The ad claimed, "Kamala knew Joe couldn’t do the job," and is part of a $5 million weekly TV campaign in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona.

Harris vs. Trump in Polls Like Biden, Harris trails slightly behind Trump in most polls. Trump led Harris by three points and Biden by five in a CBS/YouGov poll conducted July 16-18 among likely voters. An Economist/YouGov poll from July 13-16 found Biden losing to Trump by two points and Harris by five, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll on July 16 found Harris and Biden tied with Trump.

https://data.vermont.gov/Government/-VOIR-Un-p-tit-truc-en-plus-2024-en-Streaming-VF-C/p3bg-yfy4/about_data
https://data.vermont.gov/Government/-VOIR-FILmS-Un-p-tit-truc-en-plus-en-Streaming-VF-/hp3y-d8kt/about_data
https://data.vermont.gov/Government/-Film-Streaming-Un-p-tit-truc-en-plus-Complet-VF-F/4cbr-b25p/about_data
https://data.vermont.gov/Government/-Film-Un-p-tit-truc-en-plus-2024-Complet-VF-Film-V/7sd5-8zds/about_data
https://data.vermont.gov/Government/VOIR-FR-Un-p-tit-truc-en-plus-en-Streaming-VF-Comp/fin2-2q6t/about_data
https://data.vermont.gov/Government/-VOiR-FILmS-Un-p-tit-truc-en-plus-en-Streaming-VF-/mejd-vgts/about_data
https://x.com/New_123Movies/status/1815578139852202305
https://pastelink.net/01x98jlb
https://muckrack.com/escfws-axawd/bio
https://www.tadalive.com/escfwsaxawd
https://open.firstory.me/user/clyxtqa6q000h01wbfq53hh5l
https://wokwi.com/projects/404168092740952065
https://forum.potok.digital/topic/4184/kamala-harris-who-she-is-and-how-she-thinks-as-biden-s-possible-successor
http://training.monro.com/forum/posts/m142305-Kamala-Harris--Who-She-Is-and-How-She-Thinks-as-Biden-s-Possible-Successor#post142305
https://herbalmeds-forum.biolife.com.my/d/104200-kamala-harris-who-she-is-and-how-she-thinks-as-bidens-possible-successor
https://wandering.flarum.cloud/d/82969-kamala-harris-who-she-is-and-how-she-thinks-as-bidens-possible-successor
https://gtksa.net/bbs/board.php?bo_table=used&wr_id=135836
https://yuamikamii.copiny.com/question/details/id/860733
https://community.wongcw.com/blogs/794917/Kamala-Harris-Who-She-Is-and-How-She-Thinks-as