Harris’ first job in politics was as a deputy district attorney in Oakland.Mike Kepka/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images
She then earned her law degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, in 1989.
Her first role in public office was as a deputy district attorney in Oakland, California.
Kamala Harris first worked in Oakland as a deputy district attorney.AP Photo/ Damian Dovarganes
Harris returned to her birthplace of Oakland to serve as deputy district attorney for Alameda County.
Her work included prosecuting cases of murder, rape, assault, and drug offenses, helping to establish her reputation in California politics.
She later served as district attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.
Then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris in 2004.Paul Sakuma/AP
Harris served two terms during that time and was the first woman to be elected San Francisco district attorney.
She was also the first woman of Black and South-Asian descent to hold the office, CBS reported.
She made history again when she was elected attorney general of California in 2010.
Harris has broken new ground by holding multiple trailblazing roles in politics.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Harris was sworn into office in 2011, serving as California’s top prosecutor for six years.
CBS reported that, as attorney general, she enacted a groundbreaking mortgage debt relief package for homeowners affected by bad foreclosure practices. She also worked on criminal justice reform, including requiring California police officers to wear body cameras, and supported various climate action efforts.
However, some of her decisions while working as a prosecutor have received criticism from progressives.
Prior to 2018, she opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana, and convictions for drug sellers rose from 56% in 2003 to 74% in 2008 in her district, Harris wrote in her 2009 book “Smart on Crime,” NBC News reported.
She’s also been criticized for upholding the death penalty and objecting to the release of lower-level offenders.
“I’ve been consistent my whole career,” Harris said when asked at a January 2019 rally about her “tough-on-crime mentality” while working as a prosecutor.
“My career has been based on an understanding, one, that as a prosecutor, my duty was to seek and make sure that the most vulnerable and voiceless among us are protected, and that is why I have personally prosecuted violent crime that includes rape, child molestation, and homicide,” she said. “And I have also worked my whole career to reform the criminal justice system, understanding, to your point, that it is deeply flawed,” she continued.
As San Francisco district attorney, she backed a city policy that turned over young immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement if they were arrested or charged with a felony.
In a statement to CNN, a Harris campaign spokesperson said that the policy “could have been applied more fairly.”
Harris left the position in 2017 after she was elected to the Senate.
Harris served in the Senate for two years before launching her first campaign for president.
Kamala Harris after winning her Senate race at a rally in downtown Los Angeles on November 8, 2016.Barbara Davidson/Los Angeles Times
Harris launched her presidential campaign in January 2019, but she withdrew in December 2019 to support Biden’s candidacy.
Biden secured the nomination and selected Harris as his running mate.
Harris was officially sworn in as vice president in January 2021.
Kamala Harris was sworn in during the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2021.Gabrielle Lurie/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images
Harris took the oath of office alongside her husband, Doug Emhoff. The pair met on a blind date, which Emhoff has called “love at first sight,” and were married on August 22, 2014.
At the Celebration of America after the inauguration, Harris gave a speech about “American Aspiration” and various historical figures who embodied that tenacity.
“This is what President Joe Biden has called upon us to summon now. The courage to see beyond crisis. To do what is hard. To do what is good. To unite. To believe in ourselves. Believe in our country. Believe in what we can do, together,” she said.
Harris has played a pivotal role in the Biden administration.
Kamala Harris stood behind Biden after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 14, 2024.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
As vice president, Harris has cast more tie-breaking votes in the Senate than any previous vice president.
Harris’ tie-breaking votes helped pass major legislation, including the 2021 American Rescue Plan for COVID-19 recovery and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to boost clean energy.
A vocal supporter of abortion rights, Harris became the first sitting president or vice president to visit an abortion provider when she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota in March, CNN reported.
However, she has also been criticized for her perceived lack of success in securing the border and for comments she made about immigration.
In June 2021, Harris sat down with Lester Holt and said she hadn’t visited the US-Mexico border yet as vice president. She said she had not yet visited the border because she was in charge of handling the “root causes” of Central American migrants coming to the US, and that she “hadn’t been to Europe,” either.
During her first trip abroad as vice president, Harris also told Guatemalan migrants not to come to the US.
“I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come. Do not come,” Harris said.
Kamala Harris announced her campaign for president on July 21.
Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee after Biden dropped out of the race.Jon Cherry/Getty Images
The announcement was made after sitting President Joe Biden said he would be ending his campaign for reelection against former President Donald Trump.
After dropping out of the race, Biden put his support behind Harris as the new nominee.
Harris announced Gov. of Minnesota Tim Walz as her running mate in August.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz celebrated during the final day of the Democratic National Convention.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A descendant of rural America and the Midwest, Walz was seen as providing balance to the Democratic ticket, which historically tends to be more favorable in coastal regions and major cities.
“Tim is a relentless advocate for working families and a battle-tested leader who has cut taxes for working families, protected fundamental rights, and passed paid family and medical leave,” Harris told supporters during a fundraising appeal in August.
Since announcing her run, Harris has received high-profile endorsements.
Beyoncé joined Kamala Harris onstage at a rally in Houston.Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images
From the Obamas to Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Cardi B, Harris has received support from many high-profile celebrities and political icons.
Beyoncé has even hit the campaign trail to rally support for Harris.
Speaking at a rally in her hometown of Houston, the Grammy-winning artist said, “I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in.”
“It’s time to sing a new song, a song that began 248 years ago,” she continued. “The old notes of downfall, discord, despair no longer resonate.”
Kamala Harris could add one more history-making position to her resumé: president of the United States.
Kamala Harris at a campaign rally in August.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
If Harris is elected president on (or after) Election Day, She would make history as the first female president of the United States, the first woman of color in the role, and only the second person of color, after President Barack Obama, to hold the highest office.
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