Harris had been considered a top contender and potential front-runner for the2020 Democratic nomination for president.[1] In June 2018, she said she was "not ruling it out".[2] In July 2018, it was announced that she would publish a memoir, a sign of a possible run.[3] On January 21, 2019, Harris officially announced hercandidacy for president of the United States in the2020 presidential election.[4] In the first 24hours after her announcement, she tied a record set byBernie Sanders in 2016 for the most donations raised in the day after an announcement.[5][6] More than 20,000 people attended her campaign launch event in her hometown of Oakland, California, on January 27, according to a police estimate.[7]
During the first Democraticpresidential debate in June 2019, Harris scolded former vice president Joe Biden for "hurtful" remarks he made, speaking fondly of senators who opposed integration efforts in the 1970s and working with them to oppose mandatory school bussing.[8] Harris's support rose by between six and nine points in polls after that debate.[9] In the second debate in August, Biden and RepresentativeTulsi Gabbard confronted Harris over her record as attorney general.[10] TheSan Jose Mercury News assessed that some of Gabbard's and Biden's accusations were on point, such as blocking the DNA testing of a death row inmate, while others did not withstand scrutiny. In the immediate aftermath of the debate, Harris fell in the polls.[11][12] Over the next few months her poll numbers fell to the low single digits.[13][14] Harris faced criticism from reformers for tough-on-crime policies she pursued while she was California's attorney general.[15] In 2014, she defended California's death penalty in court.[16]
Before and during her presidential campaign, an online informal organization using the hashtag #KHive formed to support Harris's candidacy and defend her from racist and sexist attacks.[17][18][19] According to theDaily Dot,Joy Reid first used the term in an August 2017 tweet saying "@DrJasonJohnson @ZerlinaMaxwell and I had a meeting and decided it's called the K-Hive."[20]
On December 3, 2019, Harris withdrew from the 2020 presidential election, citing a shortage of funds.[21] In March 2020, she endorsedJoe Biden for president.[22]
In May 2019, senior members of theCongressional Black Caucus endorsed the idea of a Biden–Harris ticket.[23] In late February 2020, Biden won a landslide victory in the2020 South Carolina Democratic primary with the endorsement of House whipJim Clyburn, with more victories onSuper Tuesday. In early March, Clyburn suggested Biden choose a black woman as a running mate, saying, "African American women needed to be rewarded for their loyalty".[24] In March, Biden committed to choosing a woman for his running mate.[25]
On April 17, 2020, Harris responded to media speculation and said she "would be honored" to be Biden's running mate.[26] In late May, in relation to themurder of George Floyd andensuing protests and demonstrations, Biden faced renewed calls to select a black woman as his running mate, highlighting the law enforcement credentials of Harris andVal Demings.[27]
On June 12,The New York Times reported that Harris was emerging as the front-runner to be Biden's running mate, as she was the only African American woman with the political experience typical of vice presidents.[28] On June 26,CNN reported that more than a dozen people close to the Biden search process considered Harris one of Biden's top four contenders, along withElizabeth Warren,Val Demings, andKeisha Lance Bottoms.[29]
On August 11, 2020, Biden announced he had chosen Harris.[30] She was the first African American, the firstIndian American, and the third woman afterGeraldine Ferraro andSarah Palin to be the vice-presidential nominee on a major-party ticket.[31] Harris is also the first resident of the Western United States to appear on the Democratic Party's national ticket.[32]
Harris being sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court JusticeSonia Sotomayor on January 20, 2021
Harris was sworn in as vice president on 11:40 a.m. on January 20, 2021, by JusticeSonia Sotomayor.[34] She is the United States' first woman vice president, first African-American vice president, and first Asian-American vice president.[35][36][37][38] Harris is the third person with acknowledged non-European ancestry to become president or vice president.[a]
Her first act as vice president was to swear in three new senators:Alex Padilla (her successor in the Senate) and Georgia senatorsRaphael Warnock andJon Ossoff.[40]
As early as December 2021, Harris was identified as playing a pivotal role in theBiden administration owing to her tie-breaking vote in the evenly divided Senate as well as her being the presumed front-runner in 2024 if Biden did not seek reelection.[45]
Kamala Harris cast a record 33 tie-breaking votes during her vice presidency.[47] Harris cast her first two tie-breaking votes on February 5. In February and March, Harris's tie-breaking votes were required to pass theAmerican Rescue Plan Act of 2021 stimulus package Biden proposed, since no Senate Republicans voted for it.[48][49] On July 20, Harris brokeMike Pence's record for tie-breaking votes in the first year of a vice presidency[50] when she cast the seventh tie-breaking vote in her first six months.[51] She cast 13 tie-breaking votes during her first year in office, the most tie-breaking votes in a single year in U.S. history, surpassingJohn Adams, who cast 12 in 1790.[51][52] On December 5, 2023, Harris broke the record for the most tie-breaking votes cast by a vice president, casting her 32nd vote, exceedingJohn C. Calhoun, who cast 31 votes during his nearly eight years in office. She would break her own record for the most tie-breaking votes cast by a vice president when she voted to confirmLoren AliKhan to a judgeship.[53][54] This was the 33rd and final tie-breaking vote Harris cast.[51][55]
Harris arrives inGuatemala City during her first foreign trip as vice president, June 2021
Harris conducted her first international trip as vice president in June 2021, visiting Guatemala and Mexico in an attempt to address the root causes of anincrease in migration from Central America to the United States.[73] During her visit, in a joint press conference with Guatemalan presidentAlejandro Giammattei, Harris issued an appeal to potential migrants: "I want to be clear to folks in the region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come. Do not come."[74] Her work in Central America led to creation of:
Harris met with French presidentEmmanuel Macron in November 2021 to strengthenties after thecontentious cancellation of asubmarine program.[78] Another meeting was held in November 2022 during Macron's visit to the U.S., resulting in an agreement to strengthen U.S.–France space cooperation across civil, commercial, and national security sectors.[79]
In April 2021, Harris said she was the last person in the room before Biden decided toremove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, adding that Biden had "an extraordinary amount of courage" and "make[s] decisions based on what he truly believes ... is the right thing to do".[80] National Security AdvisorJake Sullivan said that Biden "insists she be in every core decision-making meeting. She weighs in during those meetings, often providing unique perspectives."[77] Harris assumed a "key diplomatic role" in the Biden administration, particularly after theRussian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, after which she was dispatched to Germany and Poland to rally support for arming Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia.[81]
Harris meeting with Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu at the White House on July 25, 2024
In April 2023, Harris visitedGoddard Space Flight Center in Maryland with South Korean presidentYoon Suk Yeol and agreed to work to strengthen the space alliance between the U.S. and South Korea. "We renew our commitment to strengthen our cooperation in the next frontier of our expanding alliance, and of course that is space," Harris said at a joint news conference with Yoon.[82]
In November 2023, Harris pledged that the Biden administration would place no conditions onU.S. aid to Israel in its war withHamas inGaza.[83] In March 2024, she criticized Israel's actions during theGaza war, saying, "Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks...This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in."[84]
On July 21, 2024, Bidensuspended his reelection campaign and immediately endorsed Harris for president.[85] She was also endorsed byJimmy Carter,Bill andHillary Clinton,Barack andMichelle Obama, theCongressional Black Caucus, andmany others.[86][87][88][89] In the first 24 hours of her candidacy, her campaign raised $81 million in small-dollar donations, the highest single-day total of any presidential candidate in history.[90] Had she won, Harris would have been the first female and first Asian-American president of the United States, and the second African-American president after Obama.[91] Harris is the first nominee who did not participate in theprimaries since Vice PresidentHubert Humphrey in1968. She also had the shortest general election presidential campaign in history, at 107 days.
On September 10, 2024,ABC News hosted the presidential debate between Harris and Trump inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania.[97] In the debate, Trump tried to portray Harris as a "radical liberal".[98] Harris's sharpest criticisms of Trump came onabortion rights, where she said she would restore women's rights to what they were underRoe.[99] Harris was declared the winner of the debate by several political analysts, including columnists fromCNN,[100]Politico,[101]The New York Times,[102] andUSA Today.[103] Some analysts noted that for Harris, this was the "best debate performance of her career," in which she forcefully highlighted her strengths and rattled former president Trump.[101][103] After the debate, Harris got a prominent celebrity endorsement fromTaylor Swift.[103] However, the polls remained close and showed Harris had a hard time conveying that she could represent a "change".[104][105]
On October 30, Harris delivered a half-hour speech atthe Ellipse inWashington, D.C., intended as a "closing argument" for her campaign.[106][107] Her statements about tax-fundedgender-affirming surgery fortransgender people in prison were attacked by Trump, who spent millions on a political advertisement that said, "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you." Trump's campaign spent more money on the advertisement than any other in the campaign.[108][109]
Harris supportsabortion rights, and reproductive health care was central to her presidential campaign.[127][128] She has been called "the Biden administration's voice for reproductive rights"[129] and "the White House's voice of unflinching support for reproductive health rights."[130] Several abortion rights and women's organizations supported her after Biden withdrew from the race, withReproductive Freedom for All saying "there is nobody who has fought as hard [as Harris] for abortion rights and access" andEMILY's List calling her "our most powerful advocate and messenger" on reproductive rights.[131]
As California attorney general, Harris refused to defendProp 8 in federal court, and after Prop 8 was struck down inHollingsworth v. Perry in 2013, she ordered the Los Angeles County Clerk's office to "start the marriages immediately". She officiated at the wedding of the plaintiffs in the case, Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, atSan Francisco City Hall.[134]
As a member of the U.S. Senate, Harris co-sponsored theEquality Act.[135]
In July 2018, Harris led her colleagues in introducing the Gay and Trans Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2018, a nationwide bill that would curtail the effectiveness of the so-calledgay and trans panic defenses, an issue she pioneered as district attorney of San Francisco.[136]
In October 2019, Harris participated in a CNN/Human Rights Campaign town hall on LGBTQ rights and pledged her support for "all of the folks who are fighting for equality" in cases that would determine whether gay and transgender people are protected under laws banning federal workplace discrimination.[137] Harris drew attention to the epidemic ofhate crimes committed against Blacktrans women (at the time 20 killed that year), noting that LGBTQ people of color are doubly discriminated against.[138][139]
Harris has since been criticized for a 2015 federal court motion she filed to block gender-affirming medical care for a transgender inmate serving in a California state prison while she was California attorney general, after theNinth Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled that denying that treatment violated the8th Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.[140][141]
In December 2018, Harris voted for theFirst Step Act, legislation aimed at reducingrecidivism rates among federal prisoners by expanding job training and other programs, in addition to forming an expansion of early release programs and modifications on sentencing laws such asmandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, "to more equitably punish drug offenders".[142]
In March 2020, Harris was one of 15 senators to sign a letter to theFederal Bureau of Prisons and private prison companiesGEO Group,CoreCivic, andManagement and Training Corporation requesting information on their strategy to address theCOVID-19 pandemic, asserting that it was "critical that [you] have a plan to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus to incarcerated individuals and correctional staff, along with their families and loved ones, and provide treatment to incarcerated individuals and staff who become infected."[143]
Harris's criminal justice record has been seen as mixed, with critics calling her "tough on crime" even though she called herself a "progressive prosecutor", citing her reluctance to release prisoners and anti-truancy policies. In her 2009 book, Harris criticized liberals for what she called "biases against law enforcement".[148]
Though the public had an unfavorable view of Harris as vice president, setting a record low,[149] her public image improved after Biden withdrew his candidacy forreelection. Notably, her approval rating rose 13% among Democrats.[150]
Harris's term as vice president has seen high staff turnover—including the departures of her chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, press secretary, deputy press secretary, communications director, and chief speechwriter[151]—which critics allege reflects dysfunction and demoralization.[81]Axios reported that at least some of the turnover was due to exhaustion from a demanding transition into the new administration, as well as financial and personal considerations.[152] For most of her tenure, Harris had one of the lowest approval ratings of any vice president.[153][154][149] According to aRealClear Politics polling average, a record low of 34.8% of Americans had a favorable view of her in August 2022, but this number rose rapidly after she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in July 2024. Harris had a net favorable rating by September 9.[155]
In 2024, a video clip from 2023went viral of Harris saying "You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you" at a White House event.[156] Since the launch of her 2024 presidential campaign, that and other Harris remarks have been widely shared as memes, resulting in press coverage of her public image.[157][158]
Harris's often boisterous laughter[c] has been called one of her "most defining and most dissected personal traits".[162] She says she got her laugh from her mother.[163]
^In terms of its type, it is often described as a cackle or guffaw.[159][160][161] An example of it can be seen in the "coconut tree" video exhibited on the right of this section.
^abAfter two runoff elections, of DemocratsJon Ossoff andRaphael Warnock inGeorgia, there were 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats (including 2 independents who caucus with the Democrats) in the Senate. Both Ossoff (Georgia's class 2 seat) and Warnock (Georgia's class 3 seat) were seated on January 20, 2021. With Democratic vice presidentKamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes, the Democrats also have held a majority in the Senate from January 20, 2021.
^Kevin McCarthy wasremoved as Speaker of the House on October 3, 2023.Patrick McHenry acted asSpeaker pro tempore from October 3, 2023 to October 25, 2023. Mike Johnson waselected to replace McCarthy as Speaker of the House on October 25, 2023.
^abc17 days of the 117th Congress (January 3, 2021 – January 19, 2021) took place under Vice President Pence, with the Republicans also briefly have held a majority in the Senate until January 20, 2021, and 17 days of the 119th Congress (January 3, 2025 – January 19, 2025) took place during Harris' vice presidency.
^Democratic seats at the start of each session of Congress. Independents caucusing with the Democratic Party (SenatorsBernie Sanders,Angus King,Joe Manchin, andKyrsten Sinema) are counted as Democrats for the purposes of this table. Throughout Biden's presidency, there were a total of 100 Senate seats in 435 House seats, so a Democratic majority in the Senate required 50 seats (since Democratic vice president Kamala Harris could provide the tie-breaking vote), and a Democratic majority in the House required 218 seats (assuming no vacancies).
^Martin, Jonathan; Herndon, Alstead W.; Burns, Alexander (November 19, 2019)."How Kamala Harris's Campaign Unraveled".The New York Times. Washington, DC.Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. RetrievedJune 27, 2022.
^"United States in the Senate: California Timeline". The United States Senate.Archived from the original on June 13, 2024. RetrievedAugust 3, 2024.2021, January 20: Kamala Harris of Los Angeles became the first woman and the first African American and Asian American to serve as vice president of the United States and president of the U.S. Senate.
^Solender, Andrew (August 12, 2020)."Here Are The 'Firsts' Kamala Harris Represents With VP Candidacy".Forbes.Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. RetrievedNovember 8, 2020.Harris would not be the first person of color to serve as vice president. That honor belongs to Charles Curtis, President Herbert Hoover's No. 2.
^Egan, Lauren; Gutierrez, Gabe; Gregorian, Dareh (March 24, 2021)."Biden tasks Harris with 'stemming the migration' on southern border". NBC News.Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. RetrievedJuly 22, 2024.A senior administration official said Harris' role would focus on 'two tracks': both curbing the current flow of migrants and implementing a long-term strategy that addresses the root causes of migration.
^Perry, Tim; O'Keefe, Ed; Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (March 24, 2021)."Harris to lead administration's efforts to stem migration at border".CBS News.Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. RetrievedJuly 28, 2024.She [the vice president] is really going to look at two tracks. She is going to work first on the goal of stemming the flow of irregular migrants to the US, but also at the same time, and as part of the broader context, her real goal is establishment of a strategic partnership with these countries that is based on respect and shared values.
^Lavandera, Ed (June 25, 2021)."Transcripts". CNN.Archived from the original on July 31, 2024. RetrievedJuly 28, 2024.Well, the vice president is expected to land here in El Paso in about an hour and a half. It will be a four-hour visit. And this will be her first visit to the U.S./Mexico border region since she was appointed as the border czar by President Biden.
^"Biden tasks Harris with tackling migrant influx on US–Mexico border".BBC News. March 24, 2021.Archived from the original on July 27, 2024. RetrievedJuly 25, 2024.US President Joe Biden has put Vice-President Kamala Harris in charge of controlling migration at the southern border following a big influx of new arrivals. Mr Biden said he was giving her a 'tough job' but that she was 'the most qualified person to do it'. [...] Announcing Ms Harris's appointment as his immigration czar
^Paz, Christian (July 18, 2024)."Kamala Harris and the border: The myth and the facts".Vox.Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. RetrievedJuly 22, 2024.If Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the Democratic presidential nominee, Republicans have a ready-made case against her: They can say she was President Joe Biden's 'border czar', in charge of immigration and the border, and she failed ... There's just one problem. The vice president was never in charge of the border.
^Kight, Stef W. (July 24, 2024)."Harris border confusion haunts her new campaign".Axios.Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. RetrievedJuly 24, 2024.The announcement led to near-immediate confusion in the media and in the White House over how involved Harris would be, with Republicans and some news outlets, including Axios, giving Harris the unofficial monicker of 'border czar'. ... This article has been updated and clarified to note that Axios was among the news outlets that incorrectly labeled Harris a 'border czar' in 2021.
^Benoit, Bertrand; Luhnow, David; Monga, Vipal (December 27, 2024)."The Progressive Moment in Global Politics is Over".The Wall Street Journal.Archived from the original on December 28, 2024. RetrievedDecember 27, 2024.Weak economic growth and record immigration are driving gains by the right, especially populists.
^Burn-Murdoch, John (December 29, 2024)."What the 'year of democracy' taught us, in 6 charts".Financial Times.Archived from the original on January 1, 2025. RetrievedDecember 30, 2024.The billions who voted in 2024 sent an angry message to incumbents, and warmed to populists on left and right
^Sacchetti, Maria; Rivera, Anthony; Cheeseman, Abbie; McDaniel, Justine (September 10, 2024)."Kamala Harris's immigration policies, explained".The Washington Post.Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 10, 2024.
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