Just days after Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates to become the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee. If Harris wins the general election, she would be the nation’s first female president and first female president of color. She would also be the first Californian to lead the nation since Ronald Reagan. (The last president born in California was Richard Nixon.)
Harris was born in Oakland, California in 1964 to a mother from South India and a Jamaican-American father. Her mother was a breast cancer research scientist, while her father taught economics at Stanford University. She spent much of her childhood in Berkeley.
Harris launched her career as a deputy prosecutor in Alameda County, focusing on sex crimes, robberies, and homicides. In 2003, she was elected District Attorney of San Francisco. In 2010, she was elected California’s first female Attorney General and, six years later, she was chosen to represent California in the U.S. Senate.
Harris is likely to lean into her prosecutorial record — which was not without controversy — in her quest to defeat former President Donald Trump.
As a prosecutor, “I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” Harris said in a speech to campaign staffers Monday. “Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say — I know Donald Trump’s type.”
Politicians across California have been reacting to Harris’ candidacy. Here are a few quotes:
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious. With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump's dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, @KamalaHarris — Gov. Gavin Newsom
“VP @KamalaHarris is as tough as they come. She spent decades taking on the worst offenders - from drug and human traffickers to Wall Street banks who cheat consumers. With our democracy and rights at stake, no one is better prepared to defend our values and defeat Trump. I’m all in!” — California Attorney General Rob Bonta
“Kamala Harris combines the worst of Biden and Newsom. She was at the center of this Administration's biggest failures and also played a starring role in the decline of California and collapse of San Francisco. — Rep. Kevin Kiley
“President Biden has announced his support for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the next nominee, and I agree with our President. I am confident that my friend, Vice President Harris, has the experience, the strength, the judgment and the integrity to defeat Donald Trump and serve as our next President. It’s time for Democrats to unite and focus on winning this election.” — San Francisco Mayor London Breed
“From San Francisco District Attorney, CA Attorney General & Vice President — there’s no one tougher & more ready to shatter the glass ceiling in the White House. I am excited to support @KamalaHarris for the People!" — San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins
“California is stronger because of her work as Attorney General and Senator. America is stronger because of her work as Vice President. I am proud to endorse Vice President Harris to be the next President of the United States and call on all Democrats to join me in doing everything possible to help her win this election. Now, more than ever, we must come together to defeat Donald Trump.” — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
“Very excited that @JoeBiden has selected our Senator @KamalaHarris to be the next Vice President of the US. Sen. Harris was raised in Berkeley, went to Berkeley schools, and is a fierce advocate for Berkeley and Democratic values. Our country is lucky to have her leadership. — Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin