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Who is Kamala Harris?
As everyone in the world turns their eyes to Kamala Harris following Biden dropping out of the race, many of us around the globe are trying to get a glimpse of her political career so far – such as her time serving as a prosecutor, her 2020 presidential campaign, endeavors as Vice President to Joe Biden.
👉 In this article, we’ll give a snapshot of Kamala Harris’s life – from her early life, education, and rise to prominence in the political world.
Who is Kamala Harris?
Kamala Harris is the current Vice President of the United States, serving as half of the Biden-Harris administration.
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Early Life & Education
Kamala Harris was born on October 20th, 1964 in Oakland, California – where she was born and raised as a native of the Bay Area.
Harris is a first generation American having been born to an Indian mother and Jamaican father, both of which helped to shape Kamala Harris’s tenacious political personality. As her parents divorced when she was six years old, Harris maintained strong familial ties with both sides of her heritage – having visited Jamaica with her father and sister several times while growing up.
💡 In addition to this, her mother was a breast cancer researcher, and raised them as women of color that could accomplish anything they set their mind to – a lasting effect on Kamala Harris that is still evident today.
After a lifetime in the Bay Area, Kamala Harris then went on to study at Howard University – a college in Washington D.C. infamous for support Black History. At Howard, Harris was on the debate team – where she got her start in public speaking and prosection skills.
Once she graduated from Howard University, Harris returned to the Bay Area to attend Law School at UC San Francisco – having graduated in 1989 and passing the bar in 1990.
Political Career
Like many other political figures, Kamala Harris’s rise to prominence was slow but steady.
Here’s a timeline of Kamala Harris’s political career
- 1990 – Kamala Harris is appointed as deputy district attorney and specialises prosecuting gang violence, drug trafficking, and sexual abuse
- 2004 – Harris is appointed as the first woman in San Francisco history to become district attorney
- 2011 – Harris was then elected California attorney general in 2011, making her the first female and person of color to ever hold the position
- 2017 – Kamala Harris joins the U.S. Senate
- 2020 – Kamala Harris runs for the 2020 presidential election but drops out due to insufficient funds, later supporting Joe Biden and becoming his chosen Vice President
- 2024 – Kamala Harris runs for the Democratic nomination for the 2024 presidential election
How did Kamala Harris get her start in the political world?
After years of working in the state of California and building a political portfolio, Kamala Harris ran in the 2020 presidential election – but didn’t win the Democratic nomination as it was won by current President Biden.
Essentially, Kamala Harris used her skills from Law School to get her foot in the door to the political world – being most well-known for her career beginnings in the political world as a prosecutor specializing in sexual crimes.
How is Kamala Harris perceived by the public?
Despite her hard work and genuine efforts to support minorities in the country, Kamala Harris is at times perceived poorly by the general public – citing that she laughs too much, comes off as fake, and her immense liberal “California” stances revealed during the 2020 campaign could potentially lead to her downfall.
👉 However, as of recently – Kamala Harris seems to have won the majority of the Democratic general public over following her unwavering support from leading democrats and even younger generations on social media.
Who would succeed President Biden if Kamala Harris was unable to do so?
In the midst of endless controversy regarding Biden’s age and his recent dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, Biden has made the choice to endorse Kamala Harris for president – as she has served as Vice President in the Biden Harris Administration and seems to embody the radical, liberal change many Americans want for the country.
However, while we still await who Kamala Harris will choose as her Vice President – the question still arises – who would succeed President Biden if Kamala Harris was unable to do so?
The answer is that if something were to happen that would make Kamala Harris unfit to serve as president, the Speaker of the House would be next in line to take charge of the Oval Office. After the Speaker of the House, it would then be the President Pro Tempore of the State, and the Cabinet secretaries.
💡 However, the latter half would depend on the current incumbent’s eligibility to serve as temporary President of the United States.
Why would Kamala Harris’s presidential election be historic?
There are several reasons why Kamala Harris’s potential election as the 47th president of the United States would be historic, and it’s not only because she would be the first woman president for the country.
Here are a few reasons why Harris’s election would be a milestone for the United States:
- Harris would be the first female president in U.S. history
- Harris would be the first Vice President to succeed directly from the previous president for a reason besides unforeseen death or resignation
- Harris would be the first female and Black-American president
- Harris would become the first president of Asian-American descent
- Harris would become the first president to directly represent the Indian American community
As a result of these potential record-breaking moments in U.S. election history, Harris's election would help to support the growing diversity across the country – and for the first time in U.S. history, the nation would have a multicultural President representing the country.
👉 Kamala Harris has already garnered the support of top leading democrats such as Elizabeth Warren, John Kerry, Bill and Hilary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, California's governor Gavin Newsom, and of course – Joe Biden himself.
What are Kamala Harris’s main promises as president?
Currently, we’re all waiting to hear Kamala Harris’s official policies – but given her most recent campaign speeches and previous political endeavors (especially as Vice President to Joe Biden), Kamala Harris has made some of her main promises as president clear to the public.
💡Some of Harris’s most infamous promises as president including seeking to end gun violence and ensure women’s reproductive rights nationwide.
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Kamala Harris Policies
We can surmise that Harris has the following goals if she were to be elected into office:
- End Gun Violence – A long standing issue in the U.S., Kamala Harris has promised to ban assault rifles across the country. Improved gun control would mean compulsory background checks and a nationwide ban on assault weapons.
- Civil Equality & LGBTQ+ Rights – Harris is also seeking criminal justice reform as an attempt to address systemic racism and ensure DEI policies are well implemented – which ties back to her early work as a prosecutor in the 1990s.
- Re-establish Women’s Health Rights – Harris has recently said in speeches that she plans to sign laws to restore reproductive freedom for women and to restore Roe vs. Wade
- Equal Healthcare – Harris has made clear during her 2020 presidential campaign that she wants to support affordable healthcare and to strengthen the Affordable Care Act.
- Climate Change – Harris is in support of renewable energy, seeking to reduce the country’s excess carbon emissions, and helping vulnerable communities most impacted by climate change.
- Strengthen the Middle Class – The opposite of Trump’s approach to the economy, Kamala Harris has made clear her desire to help the middle class be strong to ensure small businesses and minorities are receiving fair pay and equal opportunities and treatment across the nation.
- Immigration Reform – As a first generation American herself, Harris is passionate about ensuring DACA holders have a safe residency in the U.S. in addition to employing more humane immigration policies.
👉 Kamala Harris’s greatest strength in the upcoming presidential election is her ability to appeal to minorities across the country through her policies.
Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump
Although Harris is not officially the Democratic nominee, the chances are high that the November 2024 election will come down to Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump.
Previously, Trump said that Harris was incapable of becoming president during the 2020 campaign season.
“She could never be the first woman president. That would be an insult to our country.” – Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential campaign.
👉 Despite Harris’s current momentum, the race is still likely to be head to head – as Trump’s following remains loyal in the midst of a very divided United States.
Harris vs. Trump Ecology Policies
Despite the Biden-Harris administration having received backlash for the climate change policies, Harris has still made it clear that she plans to support ecological reform during her presidency.
“I care about the environment not because I have any particular desire to hug a tree, but I have a strong desire to hug a healthy baby. – Kamala Harris.”
As the concern regarding climate change continues to grow by the day, especially seeing as the world just broke the record for its hottest day ever – climate policies are of interest to many voters across the nation seeing as the United States remains the second largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world.
Here are some of the main differences between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s ecology policies:
Kamala Harris’s Ecology Policies
Climate Change Action
- Paris Climate Agreement – Kamala Harris wants to ensure the U.S. rejoins the Paris Climate Agreement
- Green New Deal – Kamala Harris supports the Green New Deal and additional efforts to work towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions
- Renewable Energy – Kamala Harris is invested in developing a clean energy society and seeking the use of renewable forms of energy such as wind farms and solar panels
Climate Regulations Harris Will Implement
- Support the EPA – Harris will ensure that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will have the power to enforce the necessary environmental protocols.
- Wildlife Protection – Harris will work to make sure that anyone that endangers wildlife, ocean, or other parts of nature will be held responsible.
- Natural Land Protection – As a born and raised Californian, Harris is passionate about ensuring that national parks are protected from potential drilling or deforestation projects.
Donald Trump’s Ecology Policies
Unlike Kamala Harris, Trump has always been skeptical of the need to implement climate change policies – having infamously withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement when he was president.
Trump instead values the following:
- Energy Policy – Trump supports growth for the fossil fuel industry over any and all environmental protocols, such as encouraging the production of coal, oil, and natural gas.
- Job Creation – Trump remains firm on the stance that approving of projects such as the Keystone XL Pipeline will aid in job creation.
- Cutting Environmental Regulations for the Environment – Trump is likely to cut back on regulations such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act to help the U.S. save on money and avoid a debt ceiling.
Trump’s Main Goals Include the Economy Over the Environment
It is likely that Trump will continue to prioritize economic growth over implementing environmental regulations, as Trump views environmental endeavors as potential roadblocks to economic success and leadership for the country.
👉 Overall, Kamala Harris will take a more aggressive approach to tackle climate change and protect the environment – whereas Trump remains more concerned with economic growth and ignoring the environmental consequences of these efforts to instill financial prosperity.
What are the chances Kamala Harris will be elected as president?
Right now, it’s still too early to tell if Kamala Harris will pull through and become the first female president of the United States – but there are some promising signs that the current Vice President’s campaign for the 2024 election might prove successful.
For instance, Kamala Harris has already put herself on Tik Tok – making a genuine effort to appeal to Gen Z and their social media habits. Examples include the viral video on her coconut tree comment and giving her Twitter page a “Brat” aesthetic – an album and motto penned by singer-songwriter Charli XCX which Gen Z has embraced throughout summer 2024.
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Perhaps the rebranding is juvenile to some, but the truth is – it may prove itself as an ingenious way to garner the attention and support of young voters for the 2024 presidential election.
In addition to this, several political reports claim that Kamala Harris may have an easier time gaining electoral votes in comparison to Trump – and that the current Vice President has multiple paths to succeed in the upcoming election.
Overall, Kamala Harris has a sufficient amount of political experience to take on this election – but now is the time where we’re going to find out what she’s made of in terms of vocal persuasion, influence, and her policies.
As her potential election would be historic for the country, we hope that reading this article on the background of her life and current 2024 campaign have helped you to learn something new and perhaps valuable about current candidate Kamala Harris.
What about Greenly?
If reading this article about Kamala Harris, her story, and her views have made you interested in reducing your carbon emissions to further fight against climate change – Greenly can help you!
Breaking down the insight from political leaders like Kamala Harris can be overwhelming, but don’t worry – Greenly is here to help. Click here to schedule a demo to see how Greenly can help you find ways to improve energy efficiency and decrease the dependency on fossil fuels in your own company.
Greenly can help you make an environmental change for the better, starting with a carbon footprint assessment to know how much carbon emissions your company produces.
Click here to learn more about Greenly and how we can help you reduce your carbon footprint.
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