Who is Kamala Harris? What we know about Joe Biden's replacement.
Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates to replace Joe Biden as the Democrats' presidential candidate, but how much do we really know about the 59-year-old vice president?
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In brief…
- Kamala Harris was endorsed by Joe Biden after he announced he is officially withdrawing his presidential nomination for the Democrats
- The vice president quickly received a flurry of other endorsements from top Democrats and raised $81million for her campaign in a matter of days
- Harris supports stricter gun control, advocates for abortion rights, backs US aid to Ukraine, and has faced criticism over her handling of immigration issues at the US-Mexico border.
Joe Biden, Bill and Hillary Clinton and state Governors previously tipped to enter the race have all united to back Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party candidate to beat Donald Trump in November.
The Vice President's campaign has managed to raise a staggering $81m (£62m) in donations just days after Biden stepped down. Not long after, Harris announced she had secured enough delegates to become to party's nominee.
Tonight, I am proud to have earned the support needed to become our party’s nominee.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 23, 2024
Over the next few months, I'll be traveling across the country talking to Americans about everything on the line. I fully intend to unite our party and our nation, and defeat Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/Bsq3N6pMAi
But what do we know about Kamala Harris?
From lawyer to legislator
A Californian, the 59-year-old was born in Oakland and studied law, becoming district attorney for San Francisco before twice being elected as attorney general for California.
She described herself as a “progressive prosecutor”, working from inside to counter what she saw as some of the state’s more draconian laws. In 2009, she published Smart on Crime, a book calling for criminal justice reform.
But Emily Maitlis says she has a "conservative" record on crime, in terms of how she prosecuted.
Harris became a Senator for the state in 2017, serving until 2021.
She became the highest ranking female official in US history when she was sworn in as Biden’s Vice President in January 2021, also making history as the first woman, first Black person, and first person of South Asian descent to hold the office of Vice President.
Kamala Harris: ‘I took on perpetrators of all types … predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 22, 2024
So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type." pic.twitter.com/Z3iJaSLSbk
Her record as VP and where she stands on key issues
Harris has advocated for stricter gun control laws, campaigning for tougher restrictions including tighter background checks as part of the Biden administration.
On immigration, she has faced backlash from Republicans who have slammed her approach to the US-Mexico border after crossings hit a record high.
The VP also appears to see eye to eye with Biden on Ukraine, backing US commitment to arming the country and providing aid to help it defeat Russia's Vladimir Putin.
She has been a leading advocate for abortion rights in the party, going on rallies, speaking out in interviews and even going on a nationwide tour in support of reproductive freedoms.
"Every person of whatever gender should understand that, if such a fundamental freedom such as the right to make decisions about your own body can be taken, be aware of what other freedoms may be at stake," she said in an interview with MSNBC.
What do The News Agents say?
Emily says: “I don’t think we know enough about Kamala to know whether she has done things badly. I know there is the perception that, 'oh, she screwed up the border because she gave that terrible interview in which she said she hadn't been to the border and she hadn't been to Europe either."
But she has been "incredibly strong" on women's rights and on abortion issues, Emily adds.
Harris has also been Joe Biden’s "voice on Gaza when he was taking the Israel line". She has previously indicated that she might take a tougher stance on the Israel-Gaza war than Biden has, calling out Israel in March for not doing enough to ease a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
She might find that plays much better for young people and for people in swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin, says Emily.
But Jon Sopel floats the idea that maybe she hasn't been a strong vice president.
He says that during the years he was a correspondent in DC, he heard “a lot cupped hands saying she wasn’t very good, didn't pay enough attention to policy detail, she didn't delegate well and lacked leadership in her office".
"There was this simmer of disappointment that was felt, that she hadn't really stepped into the role of vice president in the way that was hoped", Jon adds.
Another issue, Jon says, is that she will be depicted by the Trump campaign as a Californian "woke feminist liberal", even though she is "very conservative" in how she has prosecuted.
Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents: Will Kamala Harris replace President Biden?