The Truths We Hold

The Truths We Hold Plot Summary

Introduction

On a crisp January morning in 2021, Kamala Harris placed her hand on two Bibles and took the oath of office, becoming the first woman, first Black American, and first South Asian American to serve as Vice President of the United States. This historic moment represented not just a personal triumph but the culmination of a lifetime spent breaking barriers with unwavering purpose. Born to immigrant parents in Oakland, California, during the height of the civil rights movement, Harris's journey from prosecutor to presidential contender embodies the complex, evolving story of America itself. Her rise through California politics to the national stage offers a masterclass in navigating systems of power while maintaining core principles of justice and equality. Through Harris's story, we witness the power of persistence in the face of skepticism, the importance of building bridges across diverse communities, and the impact of bringing previously marginalized perspectives into centers of power. Her career demonstrates how personal experiences—from being bused to school as part of integration efforts to watching her mother battle cancer—can shape public policy priorities and approaches. As America continues to grapple with questions of representation, justice, and opportunity, Harris's path provides valuable insights into how determined individuals can transform institutions from within while remaining connected to the communities they serve.

Chapter 1: Roots of Resilience: Family Heritage and Early Influences

Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, to parents whose own journeys embodied academic excellence and social activism. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, arrived from India at just 19 years old to pursue a doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology at UC Berkeley—an extraordinary step for a young woman from Tamil Nadu in the late 1950s. Her father, Donald Harris, came from Jamaica to study economics, eventually becoming a professor at Stanford University. Their meeting amid the vibrant civil rights movement in Berkeley would shape not only their lives but the values they would instill in their daughters. The intellectual environment of the Harris household was rich and stimulating. Dinner table conversations frequently centered on ideas of justice, equality, and the importance of standing up for one's beliefs. Shyamala, who became a renowned breast cancer researcher, took young Kamala and her sister Maya to civil rights demonstrations, where "Freedom!" was reportedly among Kamala's first coherent utterances as a toddler. This early immersion in activism wasn't abstract—it was lived experience that normalized the idea that ordinary citizens had both the right and responsibility to challenge unjust systems. When Kamala was seven, her parents divorced, and Shyamala became the primary caretaker for her daughters. As a single mother raising two Black girls in America, she made deliberate choices about their upbringing. She exposed them to both their Indian heritage and Black culture, taking them to a Black cultural center called the Rainbow Sign where they encountered luminaries like Maya Angelou and Shirley Chisholm. Shyamala's famous advice to her daughters—"You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you're not the last"—would become a guiding principle throughout Kamala's life, instilling both ambition and responsibility. The family's move to Montreal when Kamala was 12 presented new challenges. Adjusting to a new country, climate, and language (she attended a French-speaking school) developed her adaptability and resilience. Despite the distance, connections to her extended family in India remained strong through long-distance calls and occasional visits. These experiences gave Harris a global perspective and the ability to navigate different cultural contexts—skills that would serve her well in her later career. Religion also played a formative role in Harris's development. Though her mother was Hindu and her father Episcopal, Kamala and Maya attended a Black Baptist church on Sundays. There, she internalized teachings about speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves and defending the rights of the vulnerable. This religious foundation complemented the progressive political consciousness she was developing through her mother's community, creating a moral framework that would guide her approach to public service throughout her life. Throughout her youth, Harris witnessed her mother's determination in the face of obstacles—as an immigrant, a woman in science, a person of color, and a single parent. Shyamala's example taught Kamala that persistence was essential to meaningful change and that one should never allow others' limited expectations to define one's possibilities. This lesson in resilience, combined with exposure to diverse cultures, progressive politics, and strong ethical principles, laid the foundation for a leader who would consistently challenge the status quo while working within systems to transform them.

Chapter 2: The Prosecutor's Path: Justice from Within the System

Kamala Harris's decision to become a prosecutor was not the obvious choice for a young woman raised in Berkeley's progressive activist circles. Many of her peers viewed the criminal justice system with deep skepticism, seeing it as perpetuating rather than addressing inequalities. Yet Harris was drawn to the prosecutor's role precisely because she understood its power to shape lives and communities. "I wanted to be at the table where decisions are made," she would later explain, articulating a philosophy that would guide her career: change often requires working within systems rather than simply criticizing them from the outside. After graduating from Howard University, a historically Black university that deepened her connection to African American culture and history, Harris earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. Her first position was at the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, where she handled cases ranging from drunk driving to homicide. Early experiences there confirmed both the system's potential for justice and its frequent failures. In one pivotal moment, Harris advocated for an innocent woman who had been swept up in a drug bust and faced spending a weekend in jail away from her children. By rushing to secure a judge's intervention, Harris ensured the woman's release—a small victory that nonetheless demonstrated how individual actors within the system could make crucial differences in people's lives. As her career progressed, Harris developed a specialty in prosecuting sex crimes, particularly those against children. This difficult work required both compassion for victims and rigorous attention to evidence and procedure. Colleagues noted her ability to prepare children for the traumatic experience of testifying while building legally sound cases against perpetrators. These cases reinforced her understanding that true justice required balancing accountability with healing—a perspective that would later inform her approach to criminal justice reform. In 1998, Harris moved to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office to lead the Career Criminal Unit, where she encountered a system plagued by dysfunction and low morale. After a brief stint at the City Attorney's Office, where she established a unit focused on child and family services, Harris made a bold decision that would transform her career: challenging her former boss, incumbent District Attorney Terence Hallinan, in the 2003 election. Running as a progressive prosecutor committed to both accountability and rehabilitation, she navigated a difficult campaign that required differentiating herself from both traditional "tough on crime" approaches and what she saw as Hallinan's ineffective management. Harris's victory made history as she became San Francisco's first female, first Black, and first South Asian District Attorney. At her inauguration, a father approached with his young daughters, telling her, "I brought them here so they could see what someone who looked like them could grow up to do." This moment underscored both the historic nature of her achievement and the responsibility she carried as a trailblazer. As District Attorney, Harris implemented innovative programs like Back on Track, which provided job training and support for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders. The program reduced recidivism to just 10 percent compared to 50 percent for similar offenders, while costing significantly less than incarceration. Throughout her tenure as prosecutor, Harris embodied what she called being "smart on crime" rather than simply "tough on crime"—addressing root causes while still holding offenders accountable. This approach sometimes put her at odds with both traditional law enforcement and progressive activists, but it reflected her conviction that effective criminal justice required nuance rather than ideology. Her experiences as a prosecutor taught her to evaluate cases based on evidence rather than emotion, to recognize the humanity of both victims and defendants, and to seek solutions that served the broader interests of justice rather than political expediency—lessons that would continue to shape her approach to public service throughout her career.

Chapter 3: California's Champion: From District Attorney to Attorney General

Kamala Harris's success as San Francisco's District Attorney catapulted her onto the statewide stage, positioning her for a historic run for California Attorney General in 2010. The race was extraordinarily tight—decided by less than one percentage point, with Harris prevailing by approximately 74,000 votes out of more than 9 million cast. Her victory made her the first woman, first Black person, and first South Asian to serve as California's chief law enforcement officer, responsibilities she would shoulder during a period of significant challenges for the state and nation. Upon taking office in January 2011, Harris immediately confronted the devastating aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Foreclosures had ravaged communities across California, with cities like Stockton and San Bernardino among the hardest hit in the nation. When a national mortgage settlement between major banks and state attorneys general was proposed, Harris took a controversial stand. Finding the initial offer of $2-4 billion for California homeowners inadequate, she made the bold decision to withdraw from negotiations—a move that drew criticism from the Obama administration and even California's governor. "I knew what was happening on the ground," Harris later explained. "I had seen the devastation. I had seen the empty homes and the homeless families." Her gamble paid off. After months of holding firm, Harris secured a much better deal—$20 billion in relief for California homeowners, including principal reductions, refinancing options, and compensation for fraudulent practices. Not content with a temporary victory, she then championed the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, landmark legislation that made the settlement's protections permanent state law. Despite fierce opposition from banking lobbyists, Harris built a coalition of labor unions, community organizations, and key legislative allies to secure passage of the bill, which prohibited the predatory practices that had devastated so many families. Throughout her tenure as Attorney General, Harris demonstrated a willingness to take on powerful interests on behalf of vulnerable Californians. She sued for-profit colleges that defrauded students, challenged major corporations over data privacy violations, and created specialized units to prosecute environmental crimes and protect consumers. When residents of Mira Loma Village in Riverside County were suffering from dangerous levels of diesel pollution due to nearby warehouse development, Harris joined their lawsuit and personally visited the community to understand the health impacts they were experiencing. This hands-on approach reflected her belief that effective advocacy required understanding the lived experiences of those affected by injustice. Harris also brought innovation to the Attorney General's office, establishing the Bureau of Children's Justice to address issues affecting California's most vulnerable young people and creating OpenJustice, the first statewide open data initiative to increase transparency in criminal justice. She implemented implicit bias training for law enforcement officers and established the first statewide protocols for body-worn cameras, recognizing that meaningful reform required addressing both individual behaviors and systemic practices. Education emerged as another priority during Harris's time as Attorney General. Recognizing the link between elementary school truancy and future incarceration—what she called the "elementary school to prison pipeline"—she launched initiatives to address chronic absenteeism. While some criticized her approach as overly focused on parental responsibility, Harris maintained that the goal was never to criminalize parents but to create early intervention systems that connected families with needed resources. This initiative reflected her belief that preventing problems upstream was more effective than addressing their consequences later. As California's top law enforcement officer, Harris navigated complex legal and political terrain with a consistent focus on justice for those most often overlooked by the system. Her approach combined rigorous legal analysis with practical problem-solving and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom when necessary. By the end of her tenure in 2017, she had established herself as a national figure with a distinctive voice on issues ranging from criminal justice reform to consumer protection to environmental justice—a record that would serve as the foundation for her next chapter on the national stage.

Chapter 4: National Ascent: Senate Leadership and Progressive Voice

In 2016, as California Senator Barbara Boxer announced her retirement, Kamala Harris seized the opportunity to bring her distinctive perspective to Washington. Her Senate campaign emphasized economic justice, criminal justice reform, and immigration rights—issues that resonated with California's diverse electorate. Harris won the election decisively, but her victory celebration was tempered by the results of the presidential race. Rather than delivering a traditional victory speech, she issued a call to action: "Do we retreat or do we fight? I say we fight. And I intend to fight!" This moment set the tone for her approach to the Senate—not as a deliberative body where she would quietly learn the ropes, but as a battleground where fundamental American values were at stake. Harris wasted no time making her presence felt in Washington. She secured appointments to key committees—Intelligence, Homeland Security, Judiciary, and Budget—positions that aligned with her expertise and priorities. Her prosecutorial background proved particularly valuable during committee hearings, where her incisive questioning of witnesses drew national attention. In one memorable exchange with then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, her persistent questioning led him to remark that her pace made him "nervous." Similar moments during the hearings of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and CIA Director nominee Gina Haspel showcased her ability to cut through evasion and demand accountability from powerful figures. Immigration emerged as a central focus of Harris's Senate work. As a daughter of immigrants herself, she brought personal passion to this issue, particularly in opposing family separation policies. After visiting the Otay Mesa Detention Center near the California-Mexico border, Harris described meeting mothers who had been separated from their children with no information about their whereabouts. "These mothers have given their testimony, if you will, have shared their stories, and they are personal stories of a human rights abuse being committed by the United States government," she declared, bringing national attention to the humanitarian crisis. Her Access to Counsel Act, which would prohibit federal officials from denying access to a lawyer for anyone detained trying to enter the United States, reflected her commitment to constitutional protections for all people. Throughout her Senate tenure, Harris positioned herself as a progressive voice on economic issues, introducing legislation like the LIFT the Middle Class Act to provide tax credits to working families struggling with rising costs of living. She became a vocal advocate for Medicare for All, drawing on her personal experience watching her mother battle cancer to argue that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Her approach to these issues consistently reflected her prosecutor's attention to detail combined with her progressive values—a combination that resonated with many Americans looking for both practical solutions and moral clarity in their leaders. Harris's work on the Senate Intelligence Committee proved particularly significant as the panel investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election. Despite the classified nature of much of this work, Harris emerged as a respected voice on national security issues, advocating for election security measures and a coherent cybersecurity strategy to protect American democratic institutions. During confirmation hearings for CIA Director nominee Mike Pompeo, she pressed him on climate change as a national security threat—a line of questioning some critics dismissed but intelligence experts validated. As her national profile grew, Harris increasingly positioned herself as a bridge between various Democratic constituencies—progressive enough to energize the party's base while pragmatic enough to appeal to moderates. Her ability to articulate complex policy issues in relatable terms, combined with her compelling personal story, made her an effective messenger for Democratic priorities. By the end of her first term, she had established herself as one of the party's rising stars—a leader whose voice commanded attention and whose perspective brought fresh insights to longstanding challenges facing the nation.

Chapter 5: Crisis Responder: Confronting America's Pressing Challenges

Throughout her career, Kamala Harris has demonstrated a particular aptitude for confronting crises with both clarity and compassion. This skill became especially evident as America faced a convergence of challenges: a global pandemic, economic turmoil, racial injustice, and threats to democratic institutions. As a member of the Senate during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris advocated for comprehensive relief measures that addressed not only the immediate health emergency but also its economic and social consequences. She introduced legislation to provide monthly payments to Americans during the crisis, pushed for eviction moratoriums to prevent a housing catastrophe, and highlighted the pandemic's disproportionate impact on communities of color. The economic fallout from the pandemic intensified what Harris had long described as a "cost-of-living crisis" affecting middle-class and working families. Even before COVID-19, she had pointed out that nearly 60 percent of Americans couldn't cover an unexpected $500 expense, despite headline economic growth. Her response to this challenge reflected her belief that economic policy should be judged by its impact on ordinary people rather than abstract indicators. "When politicians talk about the economy doing great," she often noted, "the first question should be: Great for whom?" This perspective informed her support for policies addressing wage stagnation, affordable housing, accessible childcare, and student debt relief—issues she framed not as partisan matters but as practical concerns affecting Americans across the political spectrum. The racial justice protests following George Floyd's murder in May 2020 presented another critical moment for Harris's leadership. As one of only three Black senators at the time, she brought both personal experience and professional expertise to discussions of policing and criminal justice reform. Her approach rejected simplistic narratives, drawing instead on her background as a prosecutor to propose specific reforms addressing implicit bias, use of force policies, and accountability measures. "We need to reimagine public safety in America," she argued, emphasizing that true security required both effective law enforcement and communities where people felt protected rather than threatened by police. Climate change represented another crisis Harris addressed with urgency. Having witnessed California's devastating wildfires and the disproportionate impact of environmental degradation on low-income communities, she framed climate action as both an environmental imperative and a matter of justice. Her Climate Equity Act, co-sponsored with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, proposed evaluating climate legislation based on its impact on frontline communities most affected by environmental hazards. This approach reflected Harris's consistent focus on how broad policy challenges affected specific vulnerable populations—a perspective often missing from national debates. Perhaps most fundamentally, Harris confronted the crisis of American democracy itself. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in U.S. elections, she gained firsthand knowledge of threats to electoral integrity. She consistently advocated for strengthening democratic institutions, expanding voting rights, and protecting the rule of law. When democratic norms were challenged, Harris emerged as a forceful defender of constitutional principles, arguing that America's strength depended on adherence to its founding ideals rather than partisan advantage. This commitment to democratic values would become increasingly central to her public voice as polarization intensified and basic democratic processes came under strain. Throughout these multiple crises, Harris demonstrated an ability to balance immediate response with long-term vision—addressing urgent needs while working toward systemic solutions. Her crisis leadership reflected the values that had guided her career: a commitment to protecting the vulnerable, a belief in government's capacity to solve problems, and an insistence that America could overcome its challenges by facing them honestly and collectively. As she often reminded audiences, "The strength of our nation has always been that we fight for our ideals."

Chapter 6: The Bridge Builder: Personal Life and Leadership Philosophy

Behind Kamala Harris's public persona lies a rich personal life that has profoundly shaped her approach to leadership. In 2014, at age 49, Harris married Doug Emhoff, a successful entertainment lawyer with two children from a previous marriage. Their relationship began with refreshing directness—after their first date, Doug emailed Harris with all his available dates for the next couple of months, writing, "I'm too old to play games or hide the ball. I really like you, and I want to see if we can make this work." This straightforward approach appealed to Harris, who had maintained a clear separation between her professional and personal life throughout her career. Harris embraced her role as stepmother to Cole and Ella Emhoff with characteristic intentionality. As a child of divorce herself, she was sensitive to the impact a new relationship could have on children. She waited about two months before meeting them, wanting to ensure her relationship with Doug was solid before entering their lives. When the children decided that "stepmom" didn't feel right, they created their own term—"Momala"—reflecting the unique bond they were building. Harris instituted Sunday family dinners as a non-negotiable tradition, cooking elaborate meals while each family member took on specific roles. These dinners became a cornerstone of family life, providing stability and connection amid busy schedules and geographic separation. The blended family that Harris and Doug created extended beyond the four of them to include Doug's ex-wife, Kerstin. Harris developed genuine respect and friendship with her, creating what they sometimes jokingly called "a modern family that's almost a little too functional." This ability to build bridges and create harmony in potentially complicated relationships reflected Harris's pragmatic approach to life's challenges and her focus on what truly matters—in this case, the well-being of Cole and Ella. It also demonstrated a quality that would serve her well in politics: the capacity to find common ground without compromising core values. Harris's leadership philosophy has been shaped by several key principles that emerge consistently throughout her career. First is her insistence on "speaking truth" even when uncomfortable. As a prosecutor, she learned that effective advocacy required honest assessment of both strengths and weaknesses in a case. She brought this same approach to policy discussions, refusing to oversimplify complex issues or offer easy answers to difficult problems. This commitment to truth-telling was evident in her questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about his views on abortion rights and in her direct confrontation of the human costs of family separation policies at the southern border. Another hallmark of Harris's leadership approach is her belief in the importance of preparation and attention to detail. "Embrace the mundane," she often advises her staff, recognizing that meaningful change often depends on mastering seemingly unimportant details and executing tedious tasks with dedication. This meticulous approach was evident in her handling of the mortgage settlement negotiations as California Attorney General, where her team's thorough understanding of complex financial instruments enabled them to secure a much better deal for homeowners than initially offered. Harris's leadership is also defined by her commitment to seeing problems firsthand—what she calls "going to the scene." Whether visiting communities affected by environmental pollution, touring detention facilities holding separated immigrant families, or meeting with victims of natural disasters, Harris insists on understanding the lived experiences of those affected by policy decisions. This approach reflects her belief that effective leadership requires empathy and direct engagement with the communities one serves. Throughout her career, Harris has demonstrated that leadership requires both vision and pragmatism—the ability to imagine a better future while taking practical steps toward its realization. Her approach combines idealism about what America can become with realism about the work required to address entrenched problems. This balance, along with her capacity to build bridges across differences while standing firm on principles, has defined her distinctive contribution to American public life.

Chapter 7: Future Vision: Reimagining American Possibilities

Throughout her career, Kamala Harris has articulated a vision for America that acknowledges its imperfections while affirming its potential for progress. "America's greatness has never come from the fact that we are perfect," she often says. "It comes from the fact that we have the courage to fight to make ourselves better." This perspective—neither uncritically celebratory nor cynically dismissive of American ideals—informs her approach to the country's most pressing challenges and opportunities. Central to Harris's vision is economic opportunity that extends to all communities. She has consistently highlighted what she terms the "opportunity gap"—the disparity in access to education, healthcare, housing, and capital that prevents many Americans from realizing their potential. Her policy proposals aim to address structural barriers that have historically limited opportunity for communities of color, rural Americans, and working families. From her LIFT the Middle Class Act, which would provide monthly tax credits to struggling families, to her proposals for student debt relief and increased access to capital for entrepreneurs in underserved communities, Harris's economic agenda focuses on expanding the circle of prosperity rather than accepting inequality as inevitable. Healthcare represents another cornerstone of Harris's future vision. Drawing on her personal experience watching her mother battle cancer, she has been a powerful advocate for healthcare as a right rather than a privilege. Beyond expanding coverage, Harris has highlighted the racial disparities embedded in America's healthcare system, particularly in maternal health outcomes. Her Maternal CARE Act aims to address the fact that Black women in America are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women—a disparity that persists across socioeconomic lines. This focus on specific inequities within broader systems typifies Harris's approach to reform: identifying concrete problems that affect vulnerable populations and proposing targeted solutions while working toward comprehensive change. On immigration, Harris envisions policies that balance security with humanity and reflect America's identity as a nation of immigrants. Having witnessed the human cost of family separation policies firsthand, she has advocated for comprehensive immigration reform that would provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers while maintaining border security. Her approach rejects the false choice between compassion and security, arguing instead that effective immigration policy requires both. This perspective is deeply personal for Harris, whose own mother's journey from India to California exemplifies the contributions immigrants make to American society. Climate change represents another area where Harris has articulated a forward-looking vision. She frames climate action not merely as an environmental imperative but as an opportunity to create new industries, jobs, and technologies while addressing environmental injustice. Her Climate Equity Act proposes evaluating climate legislation based on its impact on frontline communities most affected by environmental hazards—typically low-income areas and communities of color. This approach reflects Harris's consistent focus on how broad policy challenges affect specific vulnerable populations and her belief that effective solutions must address both immediate needs and long-term sustainability. Perhaps most fundamentally, Harris's vision for America centers on strengthening democratic institutions and expanding participation in civic life. As threats to electoral integrity have intensified, she has advocated for voting rights protections, election security measures, and reforms to reduce the influence of money in politics. Her approach to these issues reflects her conviction that America's strength depends on the vitality of its democratic processes and the inclusion of diverse voices in decision-making. "Our democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it," she often reminds audiences, emphasizing that democratic citizenship requires active engagement rather than passive acceptance. Throughout her career, Harris has demonstrated that leadership requires both vision and pragmatism—the ability to imagine a better future while taking practical steps toward its realization. Her approach combines idealism about what America can become with realism about the work required to address entrenched problems. As she often says, quoting her mother: "Don't just sit around and complain about things. Do something." This call to purposeful action, grounded in both clear-eyed assessment of challenges and unwavering belief in the possibility of progress, defines Harris's distinctive contribution to American public life and her vision for the nation's future.

Summary

Kamala Harris's journey from the daughter of immigrants to a groundbreaking leader embodies both the promise of American opportunity and the power of principled persistence. Throughout her career—from prosecutor to California's Attorney General to United States Senator and beyond—Harris has consistently demonstrated a rare combination of analytical rigor and moral courage. Her leadership approach, characterized by meticulous preparation, direct engagement with affected communities, and a willingness to speak uncomfortable truths, offers a model for effective public service in an era of complex challenges and polarized politics. The essence of Harris's impact lies in her ability to transform systems from within while remaining connected to the lived experiences of those these systems are meant to serve. Her mother's advice—"You may be the first, but don't be the last"—has manifested not just in her own barrier-breaking achievements but in her commitment to creating opportunities for others. As America continues to grapple with economic inequality, racial injustice, climate change, and threats to democratic institutions, Harris's example reminds us that effective leadership requires both pragmatic problem-solving and unwavering commitment to core values. For those seeking to understand how principled leadership can navigate between idealism and practicality, between accountability and compassion, Harris's path offers valuable insights into confronting challenges with both clear-eyed realism and unflagging optimism about America's capacity for progress.

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Kamala Harris

Kamala Devi Harris (born Kamala Iyer Harris) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th and current vice president of the United States since 2021, under President Joe Biden. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well as the first African-American and first Asian-American vice president. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as a U.S. senator from California from 2017 to 2021 and the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. Harris is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2024 presidential election.Born in Oakland, California, Harris graduated from Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She began her law career in the office of the district attorney (DA) of Alameda County, before being recruited to the San Francisco DA's Office and later the city attorney of San Francisco's office. In 2003, she was elected DA of San Francisco. She was elected attorney general of California in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. Harris served as the junior U.S. senator from California from 2017 to 2021; she defeated Loretta Sanchez in the 2016 Senate election to become the second African-American woman and the first South Asian American to serve in the U.S. Senate.As a senator, Harris advocated for strict gun control laws, the DREAM Act, and federal legalization of cannabis, as well as healthcare and taxation reform. She gained a national profile for her pointed questioning of Trump administration officials during Senate hearings, including Trump's second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.Harris sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, but withdrew from the race before the primaries. Biden selected her to be his running mate, and their ticket went on to defeat the incumbent president and vice president, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, in the 2020 election. Harris and Biden were inaugurated on January 20, 2021. After Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election, Harris launched her own presidential campaign with Biden's endorsement. On July 22, 2024, Harris secured enough non-binding support from delegates to become the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party.

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