Kamala Harris: An Overview

Kamala Harris: Overview

Introduction to Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris has launched her 2020 presidential campaign, and while the democratic race for president is currently crowded (in the best way possible) Harris has emerged as one of the more prominent candidates. Harris, has numerous accomplishments: she was the third female senator of California, the first senator of Jamaican decent and the first senator of Indian descent, the second African American woman in history to be elected to the U.S. Senate, and the first African American and first woman to serve as Attorney General of the state of California.

Born and raised in Oakland, CA, Harris graduated from Howard University in D.C. before pursuing a degree at the University of California, Hastings College of Law. Both her parents were immigrants, and while her mother was a breast cancer scientist, her father is a professor at Stanford. Before she became senator, she was district attorney in Oakland, California, during which crime convictions rose from 52% to 74%. As district attorney, she put emphasis on crime prevention for criminals.

Policies 

Kamala Harris has been an outspoken member of the Senate, asking tough questions during Senate hearings. In particular, in October of 2018, Harris infamously grilled Brett Kavanaugh in what was a republican-dominated Senate. Kamala Harris has also been an advocate for DREAMERs, the legalization of marijuana, and medicare for all, to name just a few. In her campaign thus far, she has put a heavy emphasis on catering for all Americans, but with a focus on the middle class, whereby she would raise tax on the top 1% with hopes of redistributing America’s wealth.

Recent Criticisms

Kamala Harris has been repeatedly critiqued due to her criminal justice record, which some claim is less than impeccable. The New York Times has published that she fought to uphold wrongful convictions, not embrace progressive criminal justice reforms, and also appealed the decision to claim the death penalty as unconstitutional, naming Kamala as a non-progressive prosecutor. The New York Times also claimed that she opposed a bill requiring body cameras on police officers and another action to investigate incidents where police officers had been involved in shootings. Strangely, NYT wrote that Kamala had laughed when asked if marijuana should be legalized for recreational purposes, which is something Harris undoubtedly supports now. Understanding where Kamala was coming from when making these decisions is difficult as she has been painted as a very progressive democratic candidate.

Potential Profile in the 2020 Race

Harris also announced her decision to run for president on Martin Luther King’s Birthday, a date that she said is especially important to her. As a candidate, Kamala’s campaign slogan is “For The People,” and Kamala speaks of “America’s Promise,” whereby “leaders lead with decency,” a subtle (or not so subtle?) jab at Donald J. Trump. In this way, Kamala’s campaign poses the job of being president for what it actually is when the element of prestige is stripped from it: an act of service for the country.

I’ve had a good feeling about Kamala Harris ever since I first saw her questioning Brett Kavanaugh during the Kavanaugh Hearings of October 2018. She was strong minded and didn’t let the republicans stop her questions from being answered. While there are some inconsistencies in her political profile from when she was Attorney General to Senator that have never quite been explained, she remains a strong candidate — at least for now!