Kamala Harris, endorsed by Biden, could become first woman to be president

WASHINGTON (AP) — She’s already surgery barriers, and now Kamala Harris could go nan first Black female to caput a awesome statement statesmanlike summons aft President Joe Biden abruptly ended his reelection bid and endorsed her.

Biden announced Sunday that was stepping speech amid wide concerns astir nan viability of his candidacy.

Harris is nan first woman, Black personification aliases personification of South Asian descent to service arsenic vice president. She joined nan Biden summons aft a rocky and abbreviated tally of her ain for nan 2020 Democratic statesmanlike nomination.

Biden said Sunday that deciding connected Harris arsenic vice president was “the champion determination I’ve made.” He wrote connected X, nan societal media level formerly known arsenic Twitter, that she had his afloat support and endorsement to tally against Donald Trump for nan presidency. “Democrats — it’s clip to travel together and hit Trump,” he said. “Let’s do this.”

However, her information is hardly a judge thing. The statement is divided complete whether Harris should ascend aliases location should beryllium a speedy “mini primary.”

A caller canvass from nan AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research recovered that astir 6 successful 10 Democrats judge Harris would do a bully occupation successful nan apical slot. About 2 successful 10 Democrats don’t judge she would, and different 2 successful 10 opportunity they don’t cognize capable to say.

The canvass showed that astir 4 successful 10 U.S. adults person a favorable sentiment of Harris, whose sanction is pronounced “COMM-a-la,” while astir half person an unfavorable opinion.

A erstwhile charismatic and U.S. legislator from California, Harris will look doubters arsenic she seeks to reassure nan statement she tin triumph nan presidency successful November. Her first trial will beryllium astatine nan Democratic normal successful Chicago successful August.

Even earlier Biden’s endorsement, Harris was wide viewed arsenic nan favourite to switch him connected nan ticket. Actively campaigning successful caller weeks, she’s had a caput commencement complete imaginable challengers, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Harris will activity to debar nan destiny of Hubert Humphrey, who arsenic vice president won nan Democratic information successful 1968 aft President Lyndon Johnson declined to tally for reelection amid nationalist dissatisfaction complete nan Vietnam War. Humphrey mislaid that twelvemonth to Republican Richard Nixon.

Nixon resigned successful 1974 during nan Watergate ungraded and was replaced by Vice President Gerald Ford. Ford ne'er won a word of his own.

Vice presidents are ever successful statement to measurement into nan apical occupation if nan president dies aliases is incapacitated. However, Harris has faced an different level of scrutiny because of Biden’s age. He was nan oldest president successful history, taking agency astatine 78 and announcing his reelection bid astatine 81. Harris is 59.

She addressed nan mobility of succession successful an question and reply pinch The Associated Press during a travel to Jakarta successful September 2023.

“Joe Biden is going to beryllium fine, truthful that is not going to travel to fruition,” she stated. “But fto america besides understand that each vice president — each vice president — understands that erstwhile they return nan oath they must beryllium very clear astir nan work they whitethorn person to return complete nan occupation of being president.”

“I’m nary different.”

Harris was calved Oct. 20, 1964, successful Oakland, California, to parents who met arsenic civilian authorities activists. Her hometown and adjacent Berkeley were astatine nan bosom of nan group and societal justness movements of nan time, and Harris was some a merchandise and a beneficiary.

She said often astir attending demonstrations successful a stroller and increasing up astir adults “who spent afloat clip marching and shouting astir this point called justice.” In first grade, she was bused to schoolhouse arsenic portion of nan 2nd people to merge Berkeley nationalist education.

Harris’ parents divided erstwhile she was young, and she was raised by her mother alongside her younger sister, Maya. She attended Howard University, a historically Black schoolhouse successful Washington, and joined nan Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, which became a root of sisterhood and governmental support complete nan years.

After graduating, Harris returned to nan San Francisco Bay Area for rule schoolhouse and chose a profession arsenic a prosecutor, a move that amazed her activistic family.

She said she believed tht moving for alteration wrong nan strategy was conscionable arsenic important arsenic agitating from outside. By 2003, she was moving for her first governmental office, taking connected nan longtime San Francisco territory attorney.

Few metropolis residents knew her name, and Harris group up an ironing committee arsenic a array extracurricular market stores to meet people. She won and quickly showed a willingness to floor plan her ain path. Months into her tenure, Harris declined to activity nan decease punishment for nan slayer of a young constabulary serviceman slain successful nan statement of duty, fraying her narration pinch metropolis cops.

The section did not extremity her governmental ascent. In precocious 2007, while still serving arsenic territory attorney, she was knocking connected doors successful Iowa for then-candidate Barack Obama. After he became president, Obama endorsed her successful her 2010 title for California lawyer general.

Once elected to statewide office, she pledged to uphold nan decease punishment contempt her civilized guidance to it. She refused to take sides Proposition 8, a voter-backed inaugural banning same-sex marriage. Harris besides played a cardinal domiciled successful a $25 cardinal colony pinch nan nation’s owe lenders pursuing nan foreclosure crisis.

As killings of young Black men by constabulary received much attention, Harris implemented immoderate changes, including search group information successful constabulary stops, but didn’t prosecute much fierce measures specified arsenic requiring independent prosecutors to analyse constabulary shootings.

Harris’ grounds arsenic a charismatic would canine her erstwhile she launched a statesmanlike bid successful 2019, arsenic immoderate progressives and younger voters demanded swifter change. But during her clip connected nan job, she besides forged a fortuitous narration pinch Beau Biden, Joe Biden’s boy who was past Delaware’s lawyer general. Beau Biden died of encephalon crab successful 2015, and his relationship pinch Harris figured heavy years later arsenic his begetter chose Harris to beryllium his moving mate.

Harris joined intermezo lawyer Douglas Emhoff successful 2014, and she became stepmother to Emhoff’s 2 children, Ella and Cole, who referred to her arsenic “Momala.”

Harris had a uncommon opportunity to beforehand politically erstwhile Sen. Barbara Boxer, who had served much than 2 decades, announced she would not tally again successful 2016.

In office, Harris quickly became portion of nan Democratic guidance to Trump and gained nickname for her pointed questioning of his nominees. In 1 memorable moment, she pressed now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh connected whether he knew immoderate laws that gave authorities nan powerfulness to modulate a man’s body. He did not, and nan statement of questioning galvanized women and abortion authorities activists.

A small much than 2 years aft becoming a senator, Harris announced her run for nan 2020 Democratic statesmanlike nomination. But her run was marred by infighting and she grounded to summation traction, yet dropping retired earlier nan Iowa caucuses.

Eight months later, Biden selected Harris arsenic his moving mate. As he introduced her to nan nation, Biden reflected connected what her information meant for “little Black and brownish girls who truthful often consciousness overlooked and undervalued successful their communities.”

“Today, conscionable maybe, they’re seeing themselves for nan first clip successful a caller way, arsenic nan worldly of presidents and vice presidents,” he said.

Once successful nan job, Harris worked to stem migration from Central America, but her efforts did not extremity nan activity of group leaving their corrupt and impoverished countries to activity information and prosperity successful nan U.S.

Nor was location overmuch advancement to beryllium made connected voting rights, different rumor that was portion of Harris’ portfolio. When Republicans constricted ballot entree successful various states, Democrats lacked nan basal musculus successful Congress to push backmost astatine nan nationalist level.

Harris yet carved retired a domiciled arsenic nan administration’s astir outspoken advocator for reproductive authorities aft nan U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, nan landmark lawsuit that had guaranteed abortion entree nationwide.

Much of Harris’ activity has focused connected bolstering her party’s conjugation of women, young group and voters of color. And successful halls of powerfulness dominated by men — some successful Washington and astir nan world — she has remained keenly alert of her position arsenic a governmental pioneer.

She often repeated a statement she credited to her mother: “Kamala, you whitethorn beryllium nan first to do galore things, but make judge you’re not nan last.”