Who is Kamala Harris and How Old is Kamala Harris?

Kamala Harris Emerges as Democratic Nominee After Biden Withdraws from 2024 Race.

In a surprise move, President Joe Biden announced on July 22nd that he will not seek reelection in 2024, and instead endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic Party's nominee. Biden cited his poor performance in a recent televised debate with Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump as the primary reason for his withdrawal.

Harris's historic selection as the Democratic standard-bearer comes after a distinguished career in public service that has been defined by many firsts. She was the nation's first Indian American senator and California's first female and South Asian attorney general. Harris is also the first woman to become vice president, as well as the first Black or Asian American person to hold the office.

The daughter of immigrants, Harris was born in Oakland, California in 1964 to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother who met while participating in the civil rights movement at UC Berkeley. She credits her mother for shaping her into the confident, proud Black woman she is today.

After graduating from Howard University, Harris embarked on a career as a prosecutor, serving as District Attorney of San Francisco and California Attorney General before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2017. As a senator, she gained national attention for her pointed questioning of Trump administration officials during Senate hearings.

Harris launched her own bid for the presidency in 2019, but withdrew from the race before the primaries. Biden later selected her as his running mate, and their ticket defeated the incumbent president and vice president in the 2020 election.

As vice president, Harris has worked to bring people together to advance opportunity, deliver for families, and protect fundamental freedoms across the country. She has led the fight for the freedom to vote and the freedom from gun violence.

Now, as the Democratic nominee for president, Harris stands on the cusp of making history once again as the country's first female president. Her candidacy represents a milestone opportunity for our democracy to acknowledge the leadership Black women have always exhibited, but has too often been ignored.