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Kamala Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign

The longtime lawmaker announced her candidacy at a rally in Oakland, California, on January 27.

Contributors: Vox Staff

Kamala Harris, a California lawmaker and longtime prosecutor, is running for the Democratic nomination for president. She made her announcement during an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2019.

Harris is only the second African-American woman to serve in the Senate, and her entry into the 2020 race is potentially historic: If she secures the nomination, she’d be the first African-American woman and the first Asian-American woman to become a major-party nominee.

The lawmaker has a long record of public service. She served as California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney for a combined 12 years before she was elected to the Senate in 2016, and buzz about her potential presidential run has been building ever since. She’s considered a prominent champion for racial equality, though some have questioned her past approach to criminal justice. She has backed some progressive policies within the Democratic Party, including Medicare-for-all and marijuana legalization.

36 Total Updates Since
Jan 21, 2019, 7:59am EST
  • December 5, 2019

    Kamala Harris and the fallibility of identity politics 

    By Shamira Ibrahim

    She was the most accomplished Black woman ever to run for president. But what else did we know about her?

  • December 3, 2019

    Kamala Harris’s decline in the polls, explained

    By Li Zhou

    Data suggests some of her supporters have migrated to candidates who were previously their second choice.

  • December 3, 2019

    Kamala Harris drops out of the 2020 presidential race

    By Li Zhou

    The California senator cited fundraising troubles as a central reason for her decision.

  • November 27, 2019

    How Kamala Harris’s mental health plan could hurt the most vulnerable 

    By Sara Luterman

    As the culture moves away from institutionalization, Harris seems to want locked wards and forced drugging to be more "accessible."

  • November 11, 2019

    The one big policy change 2020 Democrats want to make for veterans, explained

    By Alex Ward

    Democrats want to give some veterans with an other-than-honorable discharge Veterans Affairs benefits.

  • October 7, 2019

    Kamala Harris’s new paid family leave plan is the most generous yet

    By Alexia Fernández Campbell

    Six months of paid family leave would be sweet. But how does Harris plan to fund it?

  • September 19, 2019

    Kamala Harris is f***ing committing to Iowa

    By Li Zhou

    She plans to spend much of October there in a move to reverse her summer slump.

  • September 9, 2019

    Kamala Harris’s criminal justice reform plan, explained

    By German Lopez

    The plan counters criticisms she’s received about her record as a local prosecutor and California attorney general.

  • September 5, 2019

    6 winners and 3 losers from CNN’s climate town hall

    By Umair Irfan, David Roberts, Eliza Barclay, Ella Nilsen, and Tara Golshan

    Winner: Jay Inslee.

  • September 4, 2019

    Kamala Harris’s climate plan would take polluters to court

    By Li Zhou and Umair Irfan

    The new plan comes out of her experience confronting corporations as California’s attorney general.

  • August 27, 2019

    How a controversial gig economy bill became a test for 2020 candidates

    By Alexia Fernández Campbell

    Democrats vying for the White House are picking sides in the battle over California’s AB 5.

  • August 12, 2019

    Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris’s controversial Michael Brown tweets, explained

    By German Lopez

    The tweets claimed a police officer "murdered" Michael Brown. But that’s not what investigators, including those from the Obama administration, concluded.

  • July 16, 2019

    Kamala Harris’s plan to reduce prescription drug costs, explained

    By Li Zhou

    Harris is the latest 2020 Democrat to target this enduring problem.

  • July 15, 2019

    Kamala Harris just introduced a bill to give housekeepers overtime pay and meal breaks

    By Alexia Fernández Campbell

    Domestic workers don’t have basic labor rights.

  • July 15, 2019

    Kamala Harris’s path to the Democratic nomination, explained

    By Li Zhou and Ella Nilsen

    It all hinges on South Carolina, California, and going after Joe Biden’s support with black voters.

  • July 5, 2019

    Kamala Harris is fielding questions about her stance on federally mandated busing

    By Ella Nilsen

    Harris says federally mandated busing was needed in the 1970s but is rarely needed today.

  • July 2, 2019

    A new Iowa poll shows Kamala Harris on the rise

    By Andrew Prokop

    She’s still behind Joe Biden, but it’s her best poll in the important early state so far.

  • June 28, 2019

    Kamala Harris got a huge number of people curious about Joe Biden’s busing record

    By Alvin Chang

    Lots of people wanted to know more about desegregation busing after the debate.

  • June 26, 2019

    Kamala Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign and policy positions, explained

    By Li Zhou

    What to know about her presidential campaign, platform, policies, past record, and more.

  • June 19, 2019

    Exclusive: Kamala Harris wants to give every unemployed worker $8,000 for job training

    By Li Zhou

    A new bill would mark a major federal investment in worker training, and would also help underemployed workers.

  • May 28, 2019

    The 3 most interesting moments from Kamala Harris’s MSNBC town hall

    By Dylan Scott

    They were all a potent reminder that the Senate is a big problem for Democrats.

  • May 28, 2019

    Kamala Harris has a plan to stop states from restricting abortion access

    By Li Zhou

    She thinks some states should have to ask the Justice Department permission before passing restrictive abortion laws.

  • May 21, 2019

    Kamala Harris’s plan to close the gender wage gap, explained

    By Li Zhou

    If companies don’t want to pay women equitably, they pay a fine instead.

  • May 17, 2019

    Kamala Harris wants public defenders to get paid as much as prosecutors

    By Li Zhou

    Currently, there’s a wide disparity.

  • April 26, 2019

    We’re not hearing enough from 2020 candidates about things they could do as president

    By Matthew Yglesias

    America needs more questions about regulatory actions and foreign policy.

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