US Vice President Kamala Harris is officially in the US presidential race as of last night after President Joe Biden ended his campaign and announced his support for her candidacy. Now Harris can write a new page in the history of the United States, AFP and the Associated Press note in analytical materials.
Harris has already marked a turning point when she became the first female vice president of the United States in January 2021. Because of her background, she then became the first African American vice president of the United States and the first representative of Asian Americans to reach the vice presidency.
"I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party and unite our nation to defeat Donald Trump," Harris said in a statement released yesterday after it became clear that Biden was withdrawing from the presidential battle in her favor. In it, Harris applauded the president's patriotic and impartial decision.
Harris, 59, has often recounted how as a child she participated in civil rights demonstrations in the US with her father, who is a Jamaican economics professor, and with her mother , who is Indian and is a scientist specializing in breast cancer research. Harris' parents divorced when she was young and she was raised by her mother along with her sister Maya.
Harris was born in Oakland, California. She is running for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination for the 2020 election. During her brief campaign at the time, she recalled how she was the target of racial discrimination in the country and how she had to study in remote schools because of the color of her skin. After withdrawing from the presidential race at the time, Harris was invited by Biden to be his running mate. That has put her under fire from Republican Donald Trump, who is running for re-election in 2020. He called her a "choleric woman" and "monster" and even, speaking of her, used stereotypical racist terms against black women in the US.
After Joe Biden's disastrous performance at the pre-election debate on June 27 of this year, during which he opposed Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate renewed his criticism of Harris, anticipating that Biden may withdraw in her favor. Trump began calling Harris "Kamala the Grinner," referring to her boisterous laugh. And the billionaire's campaign team began to describe Harris as a "incorrigible leftist".
Kamala Harris is a law graduate of Howard University in Washington, founded to admit African-American students at the height of segregation. Her path is a reflection of the American dream.
Harris served two terms as San Francisco's district attorney from 2004 to 2011. She was then twice elected California state attorney general from 2011 to 2017. She then became the first woman and the first an American of color holding this office in America's most populous state. At the time, Harris was criticized for imposing tough penalties on petty crimes in the state, which her opponents said targeted minorities. As California's attorney general, Harris struck up a friendly relationship with Beau Biden, the son of Joe Biden, who at the time was Delaware's attorney general. Beau Biden died in 2015 from brain cancer, but many believe that this friendship between Harris and Joe Biden's son played a role when the Democrat chose her as his vice president a few years later, adds the AP.
In January 2017, Harris was elected senator, becoming the first woman of Southeast Asian descent to enter the United States Senate. Then she became the second black senator in the country's history.
After being elected Vice President of the United States in 2020, Harris dedicated her speech to the victories of little girls in America like her.
In 2022, Kamala Harris vehemently defended abortion rights in the US, challenged by a Supreme Court decision. "Some Republican leaders are trying to instrumentalize the law. How dare they? How dare they tell a woman what she can or can't do with her body?'' she said at the time, after the Supreme Court overturned a ruling guaranteeing abortion rights in the US at the federal level.
Now during the presidential candidate campaign, the topic of abortion is one of the most relevant, and Harris once again defends this right of American women.
Early in her tenure, Harris came under fire for some actions perceived as blunders. It was considered such a gaffe that she appeared shortly after being elected vice president on the cover of Vogue magazine. with sneakers instead of sticking to a more formal outfit that would emphasize her job title.
On a personal note, Harris is married to Doug Emhoft, who is an attorney and who carries the figuratively joking title of "Second Gentleman" for being the vice president's husband. He is also the first Jew to serve as the spouse of a US vice president. From his marriage in Emhoft, Harris has two stepchildren, Ella and Cole. Harris and her husband are basketball fans, but they root for different teams and get into arguments about it. He is a fan of "Lakers" from Los Angeles, and she is a fan of the "Warriors" from San Francisco.
Kamala Harris' nickname is Momala. That's what her family calls her. She is a passionate fan of cooking and everything related to it. During an official trip to Paris, for example, she quickly got out of the official program to buy kitchen utensils, AFP recalls.
Now everyone is convinced that Harris will break through more barriers in the United States, but her nomination for the presidential post is not predetermined, notes AP. There have already been suggestions that the Democratic Party could hold a quick "mini-primary" to consider other candidates for the post before its convention in Chicago next month.
A recent survey by the Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats think Harris would do well as president of the United States. About 2 in 10 Democrats don't believe she would do well, and another 2 in 10 say they don't know enough about her to make an opinion, the poll showed. The survey also found that about 4 in 10 American adults have a favorable opinion of Harris, while about half of Americans have a negative opinion.
As vice president of the United States, Harris was assigned difficult tasks, such as the issue of stemming the flow of migration from Central America to the United States. She was regularly criticized by Republicans for failing to do so. But Harris stood out as an advocate for abortion, as well as for playing a key role in getting young people and people of color to vote.
Harris will now try to avoid the fate of Hubert Humphrey, who, as vice president, won the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968 after President Lyndon Johnson dropped out of the race for re-election in the midst of popular discontent over the Vietnam War. However, Humphrey then lost the election to Republican Richard Nixon, AP recalls. Nixon subsequently resigned in 1974 over the Watergate scandal. and was replaced in the post by Vice President Gerald Ford.
Vice presidents must always be ready to take over the presidency in the event that the incumbent dies or is otherwise unable to fulfill his duties, AP recalls.
Kamala Harris has already been endorsed by influential California governor Gavin Newsom and the Clinton family. Harris also held a conversation with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, considered her potential running mate. Harris also spoke with the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, and with the leader of the representatives of black Americans in the Congress, Stephen Horsford, notes Reuters.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, and former US President Barack Obama welcomed Biden's decision to step down, but so far have not made it clear that they support Harris, the agency added. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Bisher, both Democrats, also issued statements in support of Biden's decision, but also did not comment on Harris' entry into the race. The two are thought to be Harris' challengers if the Democrats do hold a snap primary before the party convention in August.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison said the party will soon announce the next steps in the nominating process.
Celebrities have already supported Harris and expressed appreciation for what Biden has achieved as president, DPA notes. Among them are actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who said that Harris can be trusted and that she has shown experience during trials, that she is a passionate advocate for the rights of women and people of color, and that her message is one of hope and for unity for America in a time of great national division.
Support also came from singer John Legend, who urged people to elect Kamala Harris as president of the United States. Singer Katy Perry sang in support of Harris a few lines from her song "Women's World". Actress Amy Schumer said she supported Harris, and singer Ariana Grande shared on her social channels the post with which Biden supported Kamala Harris.
Actress Beth Missler called Biden "a true American patriot" because of his decision and described him as a "fantastic president". TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres also expressed admiration for Biden's achievements. Actor Mark Hamill said Biden has restored the integrity, dignity and integrity of the presidency after four years of scandal, lies, chaos and crime, referring to the Trump administration. Singer and actress Barbra Streisand also said Biden will go down in history as a president who has achieved significant things during his tenure.