Kamala Harris would like to become the first female president of the USA. But who is the woman who has so far remained rather unimpressed as Joe Biden’s vice president?
Kamala Harris has been the focus of attention since this summer, when incumbent US President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. He will not run for office again.
In the weeks before, the 81-year-old Biden had come under massive pressure from within the party because of his advanced age and his many blunders in public appearances. Biden proposed his deputy Kamala Harris as a replacement candidate for the presidential election in November. Here are five facts you should know about the 59-year-old Democrat.
1. Kamala Harris is the first woman and the first black person to hold the office of US Vice President
She was born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland, California. Her father immigrated to the USA from Jamaica to study economics. The expectations placed on Harris as a pioneer in the office of Vice President were enormous. However, the former senator has not really been able to score points in the role of Biden’s deputy in recent years.
2. Harris is also the first American with Asian roots to hold the office of Vice President
Her mother – a cancer researcher and civil rights activist – came from India and met Harris’ father in the USA in the 1960s. Harris’ parents later divorced. She herself says that India is an important part of her life. When she and her sister Maya were children, her mother traveled with them to India almost every other year to see relatives there – and to awaken in them a love of Indian food.
3. Harris has a law-and-order past
She became the first black district attorney of San Francisco and later the first female attorney general in her home state of California. Her sometimes tough law-and-order approach at the time went too far for some in the party. When she entered the U.S. Senate in 2017, she also used her experience as a prosecutor in the congressional chamber and repeatedly distinguished herself at hearings with a tough and effective questioning style.
4. Harris likes to wear sneakers
The Vice President has a soft spot for sneakers. Whenever the occasion allows, Harris can be seen wearing sneakers. Her favorite model: the iconic “Chucks” by the manufacturer Converse. “I love my Chucks,” she said during the 2021 election campaign when she went shopping for sneakers in public for PR purposes.
5. Harris met her husband on a blind date
Harris found her partner Doug Emhoff relatively late in life. In 2013, a friend arranged a blind date for the two in California, where they were living at the time. They married the following year. Emhoff has two adult children from his first marriage: Cole and Ella. They call Harris “Momala”. Emhoff was the first man to become a “Second Gentleman” in the USA. He could possibly become a “First Gentleman”, which would also be a first.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
