On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice President – a historic achievement as the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to hold the position.
As Vice President, she brought people together to advance opportunity, deliver for families, and protect fundamental freedoms across the country. She led efforts to defend the freedom of women to make decisions about their own bodies, the freedom to live safely from gun violence, the freedom to vote, and the freedom to access clean water and air. While making history at home, she represented the nation abroad, embarking on more than a dozen foreign trips, visiting over 19 countries, and meeting with more than 150 world leaders to strengthen global alliances.
She served as a trusted partner to President Joe Biden, working together to deliver monumental achievements that transformed the lives of millions of Americans. They invested in the economy, creating a record number of jobs and maintaining low unemployment. Their work led to the highest rate of small business creation in a two-year period compared to any prior administration.
They capped insulin costs at $35 per month for seniors, reduced prescription drug prices, and improved maternal health by expanding postpartum care through Medicaid. They passed the first significant gun safety legislation in three decades. Together, they built a bipartisan coalition to enact a $1 trillion infrastructure investment, removing lead pipes across the U.S. and making historic improvements in public transit, bridge repairs, and high-speed Internet access.
As President of the Senate, Vice President Harris set a new record for the most tie-breaking votes cast by a Vice President, surpassing a nearly 200-year-old milestone. Her votes were decisive, including securing the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment ever in tackling the climate crisis. She also presided over the historic vote confirming Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court while advancing historic representation of women and people of color in federal government appointments.
Advocating for the people was central to Harris’s career long before the vice presidency. In 2017, she was sworn into the United States Senate, where she championed legislation addressing hunger, rent relief, maternal health, small business growth, infrastructure revitalization, and climate change. She also played a key role on the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, questioning Supreme Court nominees and crafting bipartisan legislation to secure American elections.
In 2010, Harris was elected Attorney General of California, overseeing the largest state justice department in the nation. She held powerful entities accountable, securing a $20 billion settlement for Californians affected by foreclosures and a $1.1 billion settlement for students and veterans exploited by a for-profit education company. She defended the Affordable Care Act in court and enforced environmental laws.
In 2004, Harris was elected District Attorney of San Francisco, becoming a national leader in LGBTQ+ rights by officiating the first same-sex wedding after Proposition 8 was overturned. She also established an environmental justice unit and developed a groundbreaking program for first-time drug offenders, which became a national model for law enforcement innovation. Earlier in her career, in 1990, she joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, specializing in prosecuting child sexual assault cases.
Born in Oakland, California, Harris was raised by immigrant parents who were active in the civil rights movement. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer scientist, and her father instilled in her a commitment to building coalitions that fight for the rights and freedoms of all people. Inspired by figures like Justice Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley, she pursued a path of advocacy and justice.
Harris graduated from Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law. In 2014, she married Douglas Emhoff, a lawyer, forming a large blended family with their children, Ella and Cole.
“My mother would look at me and say, ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.’” As a trailblazer throughout her entire career, Harris remains steadfast in fulfilling her mother’s advice.