Top line
Vice President Kamala Harris has injected new momentum into the Democratic Party after replacing President Joe Biden as the presidential nominee. On Thursday evening, she will take the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to formally accept the party’s nomination.
Vice President Kamala Harris is holding a campaign rally. This is her seventh visit to North Carolina this year … (+)
Key data
Harris officially succeeded Biden about a month ago after he ended his re-election campaign on July 21. She said she was convinced “that resigning is in the best interests of my party and the country.”
Before becoming Biden’s vice president, Harris served as a prosecutor in California for nearly 30 years, including as the state’s attorney general, and was elected to the Senate in 2016.
Harris is expected to take the stage toward the end of Thursday’s DNC program, which is scheduled to last until 11 p.m. EDT but runs longer on previous evenings.
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What did Biden say about Harris?
Almost immediately after leaving the race, Biden endorsed Harris as his successor. In a statement, he said choosing Harris as his running mate in 2020 was “the best decision I made” and said he offered her his “full support.” Speaking at the DNC on Monday, Biden said Harris is “tough. She’s experienced. And she has tremendous integrity,” adding that she understands “that this country must continue to be a place of opportunity, not just for a few of us, but for all of us.”
Who is your running mate, Tim Walz?
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was announced as Harris’s running mate on August 6. At the time, Harris praised his “conviction in fighting for middle-class families” and said what impressed her most was his “deep commitment to his family.” Walz was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and won re-election in 2022. He served in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019. He joined the Army National Guard at age 17, graduated from Chadron State College in 1989 and began his career as a high school teacher and football coach in Nebraska. Walz and his wife, Gwen Walz, moved to Minnesota from Nebraska in 1996, and he taught there until he was elected to the House. Walz beat out a number of other finalists for Harris’s running mate, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and was attractive to some in part because of his reputation as a blue-collar politician with a rural background.
What is Kamala Harris’ family background?
Harris was born in Oakland, California, to Shyamala Gopalan, originally from South India, and Donald Harris, who is from Jamaica, making Harris the first female vice president of black or South Asian descent. Her parents are both graduates of the University of California, Berkeley, and divorced when Harris and her younger sister Maya were children. Gopalan worked as a breast cancer researcher and Donald Harris was an economics professor at Stanford University. Harris’ mother died in 2009 at age 71; her father is 85.
Who is Doug Emhoff?
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff married Harris in 2014, and Harris became stepmother to his two children from a previous marriage: Cole Emhoff, 30, and Ella Emhoff, 25. When Biden and Harris won in 2020, Emhoff became the first second gentleman in the country’s history and the first Jewish wife of a president or vice president. He was an entertainment lawyer — though he left his job in the industry when Harris ran with Biden — and advocated for women’s rights and support for mental health resources, as well as working to raise awareness about anti-Semitism, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
How rich is Kamala Harris?
We estimate that Harris and Emhoff are worth about $8 million. The couple’s wealth consists largely of the money Emhoff earned as a lawyer (more than $1 million a year), sales of books Harris published before taking office, and their real estate assets, including a multi-million dollar home in Los Angeles.
How has Trump criticized Harris so far?
Trump has tried to focus his recent attacks on Harris on her work on immigration policy and her economic policies. He criticized her work as so-called border czar, saying she has “failed” and “done a terrible job at the border.” Trump also accused Harris of not being tough on crime and warned she would try to “defund the police,” ABC News reported. Trump also blamed Harris for inflation, saying she has implemented a “Kamala Harris inflation tax” on average Americans and would lower the cost of consumer goods if re-elected, The New York Times reported. Trump has also continually personally attacked Harris, telling crowds, “She’s crazy… she’s crazy” and criticizing her laughter.
How is Harris doing in polls against Trump?
In her month as the presumptive Democratic nominee, Harris has chipped away at Trump’s widening lead over Biden. In a poll conducted Aug. 17-20 and released Wednesday, Harris had a three-percentage-point lead over Trump nationally (46% to 43%), similar to her 46% to 44% lead about a week earlier. Harris has an average lead of 3.4 percentage points over Trump nationally as of Thursday evening, according to FiveThirtyEight.
What is the relationship between Obama and Harris?
Harris and former President Barack Obama have known each other for 20 years and supported each other during their various political campaigns. They met in 2004 when Harris was district attorney in San Francisco and Obama was representing Chicago as a state representative. Four years later, Harris supported Obama in his primary and reportedly volunteered for his campaign. During their time in various offices, the two stayed in touch, and Obama described Harris as “a dear, dear friend” when he endorsed her for California’s attorney general in 2010. Obama endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 and endorsed Harris for president shortly after she succeeded Biden in July. In his speech to the DNC on Tuesday night, Obama said Harris was someone who “has spent her whole life giving people the same opportunities that America has given her, someone who sees you and listens to you and who stands up every day and fights for you.”
Who supported Harris?
Numerous politicians and celebrities have endorsed Harris in the month since she took over the nomination. Billionaires such as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Mark Cuban and philanthropist Melinda French Gates have thrown their support behind Harris. French Gates said Harris is “the right candidate right now.” Celebrities such as Charli XCX – whose “brat” image Harris’ campaign has used heavily – George Clooney, Olivia Rodrigo and Nick Offerman have also offered Harris’s support.
What is your record as a senator?
In 2016, she became the second black woman in history to be elected to the Senate. Harris played a prominent role on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which questioned Trump’s Supreme Court nominations, including Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She co-sponsored legislation to expand abortion rights, introduced a bill that would have provided a tax credit to middle- and low-income families, and, following the police killing of George Floyd, co-sponsored legislation that would have made it easier to prosecute police officers accused of misconduct.
What is your track record as a prosecutor?
Harris served as San Francisco district attorney from 2004 to 2010 and California attorney general from 2011 to 2017. In her 2009 book, “Smart On Crime,” Harris advocated for diversion programs for first-time offenders but also called for more police on the streets. Progressives accused her of not doing enough to investigate police misconduct, pointing to the nearly 2,000 convictions for marijuana-related offenses she oversaw during her time as attorney general. Harris’s views on criminal justice have evolved, however. During her time in the Senate, she supported legislation to decriminalize drugs and declared “nobody should have to go to prison for smoking weed” when Biden pardoned thousands of people convicted of federal marijuana possession in 2022.
What happened in your 2020 presidential campaign?
Harris ran for the Democratic nomination but withdrew before the primaries began, citing a lack of fundraising. She was briefly considered a top candidate, but suffered a series of setbacks, including poor poll numbers, criticism from progressives of her performance as a prosecutor, and reports of operational problems within her campaign.
More information
Biden drops out of the 2024 presidential race – here’s what happens next (Forbes)
Kamala Harris confirms her presidential candidacy – after Biden’s decisive endorsement (Forbes)
These top Democrats are supporting Kamala Harris in her campaign to succeed Biden (Forbes)
Kamala Harris’ running mate: Here’s who could be her VP after Biden drops out and endorses her (Forbes)
