Kamala Harris (born October 20, 1964, Oakland, California, U.S.) is the 49th vice president of the United States (2021–25) in the Democratic administration of Pres. Joe Biden. She was the first woman, the first Black American, and the first Asian American to hold the post. She had previously served in the U.S. Senate (2017–21) and as attorney general of California (2011–17).
Harris’s father, who was Jamaican, taught at Stanford University, and her mother, the daughter of an Indian diplomat, was a cancer researcher. While growing up, Harris maintained close contact with her Indian family and frequently traveled with her mother and sister to Chennai, the capital of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Her younger sister, Maya, eventually became a public policy advocate. After studying political science and economics (B.A., 1986) at Howard University, Harris earned a law degree (1989) from Hastings College.
In 2012 Harris delivered a memorable address at the Democratic National Convention, raising her national profile. Two years later she married attorney Douglas Emhoff. Widely considered a rising star within the party, she was recruited to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Barbara Boxer, who was retiring. In early 2015 Harris declared her candidacy, and on the campaign trail she called for immigration and criminal-justice reform, an increase in the minimum wage, and protection of women’s reproductive rights. She easily won the 2016 election.
When she took office in January 2017, Harris became the first Indian American and only the second Black American woman in the Senate. She began serving on both the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Judiciary Committee, among other assignments. She became known for her prosecutorial style of addressing witnesses during hearings, which provoked criticism—and occasional interruptions—from Republican senators. In June she drew particular attention for her questioning of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was testifying before the intelligence committee on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election;
As racial injustice became a major issue in the United States, many Democrats called on Biden, the party’s presumptive nominee, to select an African American woman—a demographic that was seen as pivotal to his election chances—as his vice presidential running mate. In August Biden chose Harris, and she thus became the first Black woman to appear on a major party’s national ticket. In November she became the first Black woman to be elected vice president of the United States.
As Biden’s vice president, Harris was tasked with addressing the root causes of increased migration from Latin America to the U.S. southern border, promoting national legislation to protect voting rights, and preserving women’s access to abortion, which was significantly limited in many states following the 2022 Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (see U.S. abortion rights by state). Harris became a vocal and effective advocate for the right to complete reproductive health care, including abortion. She continued that theme as part of Biden’s 2024 campaign, in which she frequently warned that reelecting Trump would further limit access to abortion care
Harris met her husband, a former entertainment lawyer in 2013. A year later, she and Douglas Emhoff were married. It was her first marriage; his second.
Harris became stepmom to Emhoff’s two children, Cole and Ella, from his first marriage to Kerstin Emhoff.
