Kamala Harris

Kamala Devi Harris is an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the 49th vice president of the United States under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. She previously served as California's attorney general and as a United States senator. Her election to the vice presidency made her the first woman, first Black American, and first South Asian American to hold that office.

Harris was born in Oakland, California, to Donald J. Harris, a Jamaican-born economist, and Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian-born cancer researcher. She grew up primarily in California and spent part of her childhood in Canada while her mother taught at McGill University. Harris attended Howard University, graduating in 1986, and then earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, in 1989.

Harris began her legal career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and later worked in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. She was elected San Francisco district attorney in 2003 and served two terms. In 2010 she was elected attorney general of California, becoming the first woman and first Black person to hold the office. As attorney general, she handled major litigation involving the state and federal government and became a nationally prominent Democratic official.

In 2016 Harris was elected to the United States Senate from California, taking office in January 2017. She served on the Senate Judiciary, Intelligence, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Budget committees. Her questioning of witnesses during congressional hearings brought her national attention. Harris sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 before ending her campaign, and Joe Biden selected her as his running mate in August 2020. The Biden-Harris ticket won the election, and Harris was sworn in as vice president on January 20, 2021.

As vice president, Harris became president of the Senate and cast tie-breaking votes on numerous occasions. She was assigned major administration responsibilities involving voting rights, immigration, reproductive policy, economic issues, and foreign relations. She also represented the United States abroad on numerous diplomatic visits. After Biden ended his reelection campaign in 2024, Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee but lost the November election to Donald Trump, and she left the vice presidency on January 20, 2025.

Harris's legacy is closely connected to her succession of historic firsts and her path through California law enforcement, statewide office, the Senate, and the vice presidency. She was the first woman, first Black American, and first South Asian American vice president, as well as the first woman to serve as president of the Senate. Her career represents one of the most rapid ascents from state-level office to the highest levels of federal government in modern American history.