**Kamala D. Harris** is the Vice President of the United States, consistently advocating for the people. Her groundbreaking career spans from her role as District Attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General of California to her tenure as a U.S. Senator and now Vice President.
On January 20, 2021, she made history by becoming the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American elected to this office.
As Vice President, Kamala Harris has focused on uniting people to create opportunities, support families, and uphold fundamental freedoms nationwide. She has championed women’s rights to make their own healthcare decisions, the right to live free from gun violence, access to voting, and the right to clean air and water. While making strides at home, she has also represented the U.S. internationally, completing over a dozen trips to more than 19 countries and engaging with over 150 world leaders to strengthen vital global partnerships.
A trusted partner to President Joe Biden, she has collaborated to achieve significant milestones that positively impact millions of Americans. Together, they have invested in the economy, resulting in a record number of job creations and maintaining low unemployment rates. Their administration has seen more small businesses launched in two years than any previous administration.
Vice President Harris speaking at an event
They capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors, reduced prescription prices, and enhanced maternal health by expanding postpartum care through Medicaid. They also passed the first significant gun safety legislation in three decades. By forming a bipartisan coalition, they enacted a $1 trillion investment in the nation’s infrastructure, aimed at replacing every lead pipe in America and making historic investments in public transit, bridge repairs, and high-speed Internet.
As President of the Senate, Vice President Harris achieved a record for the most tie-breaking votes cast by a Vice President in history, surpassing a nearly 200-year-old record. Her votes have been pivotal, including the decisive vote that secured the passage of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment to combat the climate crisis. She also presided over the historic confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, while collaborating with President Biden to ensure greater representation of women and people of color among nominees at all levels of the federal government.
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- “At every stage of my journey, I’ve been inspired by the words I first spoke in a courtroom: Kamala Harris, For the People.”
Fighting for the people has always been a priority for Vice President Kamala Harris.
In 2017, she was sworn into the United States Senate, where she championed legislation aimed at tackling hunger, providing rent relief, improving maternal healthcare, expanding access to capital for small businesses, revitalizing America’s infrastructure, and addressing the climate crisis. She actively questioned two Supreme Court nominees while serving on the Judiciary Committee and worked to safeguard the American public from foreign threats. Additionally, she crafted bipartisan legislation to secure American elections while on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Before her Senate career, Vice President Harris was elected Attorney General of California in 2010, overseeing the largest state justice department in the nation. She took decisive action against those exploiting the American people, achieving a $20 billion settlement for Californians who faced foreclosures and a $1.1 billion settlement for students and veterans victimized by a for-profit education company. She also defended the Affordable Care Act in court and enforced environmental laws, demonstrating her commitment to justice and accountability.
Vice President Harris at the Pride Parade in San Francisco, California
In 2004, Vice President Harris was elected District Attorney of San Francisco, becoming a national leader in the movement for LGBTQ+ rights by officiating the first same-sex wedding after the overturning of Proposition 8. She also established the office’s environmental justice unit and launched an innovative program that offered first-time drug offenders the chance to earn a high school diploma and secure employment, which the U.S. Department of Justice recognized as a national model for law enforcement. Earlier in her career, in 1990, she joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, focusing on prosecuting child sexual assault cases.
Born in Oakland, California, Vice President Harris grew up in a diverse community as the daughter of immigrants. She and her sister, Maya, drew inspiration from their mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer scientist and trailblazer who immigrated from India at 19 and earned her doctorate in the same year Kamala was born.
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Vice President Harris with her mother, Shyamala
Both of the Vice President’s parents were active participants in the civil rights movement, instilling in her a dedication to building strong coalitions that advocate for the rights and freedoms of all individuals. They took her to civil rights marches in a stroller and taught her about influential figures like Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and civil rights leader Constance Baker Motley.
Vice President Harris graduated from Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law. In 2014, she married Douglas Emhoff, a lawyer, and together they have a large blended family that includes their children, Ella and Cole.
As a trailblazer throughout her career, the Vice President remains committed to honoring her mother’s advice:
"My mother would look at me and say, 'Kamala, you might be the first to achieve many things, but ensure you’re not the last.'"
Vice President Harris embraces a young supporter
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