Kamala Harris

Former Vice President of the United States

By Tom Kirvan

The 49th Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris became the first female, first African American, and first Asian American to hold the post when she was sworn in to office in January 2021.

“My mother had a saying: ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last,’” Harris related. “I was raised to be an independent woman, not the victim of anything.”

Born October 20, 1964 in Oakland, Calif., Harris served as the State’s attorney general from 2011-17, before she was elected to the U.S. Senate, serving a four-year term en route to becoming vice president.

An alumna of Howard University, Harris earned her juris doctor from University of California, Hastings College of Law in San Francisco before beginning her career in public service. As a senator, Harris gained a national profile by advocating for stricter gun control laws, the DREAM Act, and reforms to health care and taxation.

As Joseph Biden’s running mate in the 2020 presidential election, Harris helped the Democratic ticket prevail in a hotly-contested race that continues to reverberate today over unfounded claims that the election outcome was stolen. Her opportunity to put those false claims to bed for good came up short in the 2024 presidential election against Donald Trump, who won a second term in office.

Kamala Harris*

“We deserve a president with the knowledge and experience to reassure a nation weary of tweets, lies, and incompetence,” Harris said on the 2024 campaign trail. “And we deserve a president who speaks to the best of who we are and challenges us to live up to our ideals.”

Since leaving office, former Vice President Harris has focused her public messaging on critiquing the Trump administration’s policies, warning about the erosion of democratic institutions, and urging Democrats to unify ahead of midterm elections.

She has repeatedly emphasized the fragility of political institutions and the press, urging Americans to stand together, raise their voices, and hold the government accountable if checks and balances begin to collapse.

“The American dream belongs to all of us,” Harris declared.

^{*Lawrence Jackson, Public domain, via}^{Wikimedia Commons}