After the Election Ed Lesson Four — Who is Kamala Harris

Written by Rachele Terranova, Graphics by Nadia Nugent

Who is Kamala Harris

A native of Oakland, California, Kamala Harris was raised by two immigrant parents. Her mother is Indian-born and her father is Jamaican, though they divorced when she was five and she was raised mostly by her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist. Despite living primarily with her mother, Harris engaged with the cultures of both sides of her family.

Her biracial identity is a draw for many Americans, and she has gone on to state her disdain for the need for politicians such as herself to fulfill certain roles based on racial criteria. She is now commonly known to many as “Momala” — the term given to her by her step-children when she married husband, lawyer Doug Emhoff.

Political history

Kamala Harris began her career as a prosecutor in Oakland, where she began to characterize herself as a “progressive prosecutor.” Many critics disagree with this title, however, due to her controversial track record. She first ran for district attorney during the “tough on crime” phase in the American judicial system coming out of the 1990’s, and there was still a lot of room for improvement in the use of the word progressive. Following her time as San Francisco’s district attorney, she became California’s attorney general. This period in her career has sparked a lot of controversy. As district attorney she declined to use the death penalty, but once she reached the attorney general position, it was something she supported. Being a member of the criminal justice system and a member of law enforcement brings many challenges, that being said Harris has a contradictory and somewhat complicated history with criminal justice reform.

As a senator she has expressed more specific reforms for criminal justice. She has advocated for extensive criminal justice reform and helped introduce several bills including one that makes lynching a federal crime, and a bail reform bill. There are senators who are more progressive than Harris, but her voting record in the Senate still leans towards supporting reform.

Role as vice president

Due to her history, Kamala Harris will likely be active in the areas of law enforcement and criminal justice, but she has the added pressures of being an advocate for women’s issues as well as racial justice. She does not have to face anything alone, however, as President Joe Biden takes great pride in his dynamic with former president Barack Obama. Instead of being treated as secondary due to his vice president status, Biden and Obama functioned as a team. It is likely that Biden and Harris will replicate that dynamic and work together to face America’s issues.

Harris also holds a special power following senate runoff elections in Georgia and the resulting 50/50 senate. She is not only the vice president, but also the Senate president, meaning she has the constitutional power to break 50/50 senate ties. This is a major win in the eyes of many Democrats because she will be able to work in the favor of the Biden plan.

Harris’ vote being the tiebreaker will be invaluable in aiding Biden’s cabinet confirmations. Putting together a diverse, climate conscious and progressive cabinet is a Democrats’ dream and she may be able to help push some of these appointments through. In addition, when it comes to appointing and confirming judges, her vote also applies.

Lastly, Harris will be able to vote on matters regarding stimulus payments. She has been vocal about stimulus payments, stating her disdain for the one time $1,200 relief followed by a second $600. She was a lead sponsor of a plan that provided $2,000 per month and allowed parents who file jointly to receive $4,000 per month plus an additional $2,000 per child for a maximum of three children.