It was the fastest nomination process in history. Two days and one month after Joe Biden resigned and approved Kamala HarrisThe Vice President accepted the Democratic nomination for president on the fourth day of the DNC.
She told a rapt audience: “On behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks, on behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever embarked on their own improbable journey on behalf of Americans, like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, pursue their dreams and look out for each other, on behalf of everyone whose history could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.”
Here are 50 things you need to know about the vice president running against former President Donald Trump:
1) Kamala Harris is the first Black Man, the first Indian origin person and the first female vice president. She is also the first non-white presidential candidate.
2) Harris is the second non-white person to become Vice President (after Charles Curtis, whose mother was one-quarter Kaw) and the second female presidential candidate (after Hillary Clinton).
3) The old Tamil-Telugu rivalry is once again coming to the fore in the race for the White House, as JD Vance’s wife Usha Chilukuri Vance is of Telugu descent and Harris’ mother is Tamil.
4) Harris was born in Oakland, Californiaon October 20, 1964, as the eldest of two children of Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from India, and Donald Harris, an economist from Jamaica.
5) Her maternal grandparents were Tamil Brahmins from the Madras Presidency in British India, now known as the state of Tamil Nadu.
6) Harris has claimed that her maternal grandfather was one of “India’s first independence fighters” and “held the post of Foreign Secretary.” Both claims are improbable. Harris’ uncle, G. Balachandran, noted that if Gopalan had openly spoken out in favor of ending British rule, he would have lost his job.
7) Harris’ parents met at UC Berkeley and bonded over their shared passion for civil rights. Harris told a childhood story in which she told her mother “Fweedom,” which led to accusations of plagiarism when compared to a similar anecdote by Martin Luther King Jr.
8) When Harris was 7, her parents divorced and her mother raised her and her sister in Berkeley.
9 She says she embraced both her Native American and black identities as a child, and in her autobiography she wrote that she attended both a Baptist church and a temple: “My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters, and she was determined to make sure that we would grow up to be confident, proud black women.”
10) After high school, Harris attended Howard Universitya prestigious, historically black college in Washington, DC She studied political science and economics and joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha fraternity.
11) While studying law in San Francisco, Kamala Harris lived with her sister Maya and fondly remembers carefree moments that helped her cope with the pressures of studying.
12) In 1990, after passing the bar exam, Harris joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in Oakland, where she focused on sex crimes.
13) Harris briefly dated Montel Williams. There is a famous video of him introducing her to a crowd, the characterization of which is often misrepresented.
14) She also dated Willie Brown, a prominent California politician 30 years her senior, who lavished her with gifts and later joked that she might deport him if she became president.
15) Harris met her husband Doug Emhoff in 2013 after a mutual friend set them up on a blind date. After exchanging messages, they quickly connected and soon began dating.
16) During a debate for California Attorney General, Harris delivered a sharp retort to her opponent over his comment about double taxation, a moment considered a turning point in her career. The NYT called it the “47 seconds that saved her career.”
17) Harris failed to win any delegates in the debate at the 2020 Democratic National Convention and was soundly defeated in a debate by Tulsi Gabbard.
18) She is often referred to as the “female Obama,” a comparison she does not like.
19) Gavin Newsom was elected mayor of San Francisco in the same election cycle that Harris rose to prominence; the two remain close friends.
20) During her first three years as district attorney, San Francisco’s conviction rate rose from 52% to 67%.
21) In 2004, Harris made the controversial decision not to seek the death penalty for the man who killed a San Francisco police officer, leading to a rift with police unions.
22) As California’s attorney general, Harris declined to support two ballot initiatives that would have abolished the death penalty, leading to accusations of inconsistency.
23) Since being endorsed by Joe Biden, Harris has reversed course on several progressive policies, including a ban on fracking, a national health care system, and a federal jobs guarantee.
24) Harris was the first prominent California official to endorse Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential bid, marking the beginning of their friendship. But she hates being called the “female Obama,” pointing out that she has her own legacy.
25) As attorney general, Harris was criticized for her handling of a scandal involving a criminal lab technician who stole cocaine and mishandled evidence, which led to the dismissal of about a thousand drug-related cases.
26) Her race for Attorney General of California in 2010 was very close and she won by a narrow margin.
27) In 2010, Harris supported a controversial law in San Francisco that made truancy a misdemeanor, a move that was both praised and criticized.
28) As Attorney General, she refused to sign a national mortgage settlement and instead promised $20 billion to California homeowners.
29) One of her key achievements as Attorney General was the launch of the Open Justice initiative, an online platform for criminal justice data.
30) In 2012, Harris declined to prosecute OneWest Bank for misconduct related to foreclosures, a decision that was later criticized.
31) Harris has been criticized for not taking a more forceful stance against police brutality during her tenure as attorney general, particularly for failing to investigate certain police shootings.
32) In 2013, President Obama called Harris the “best-looking attorney general in the country,” a statement he later apologized for.
33) There were rumors that Harris was a possible nominee for the Supreme Court under the Obama administration, but she stated she was not interested.
34) In 2014, Harris married corporate lawyer Doug Emhoff in a small ceremony officiated by her sister.
35) In 2016, Harris won her U.S. Senate election, defeating fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez.
36) Harris gained national attention in 2017 for her targeted questioning of then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions during the Russia investigation.
37) She took a similar approach during Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings to the Supreme Court in 2018, questioning him about his knowledge of the Mueller investigation.
38) Harris’ most ardent online supporters are known as the “KHive,” inspired by Beyoncé’s fan base, the “Beyhive.”
38) The most notable moment of her presidential campaign came during the first Democratic debate, when she confronted Joe Biden over his stance on cross-district busing in the 1970s. Biden has transformed during his time in office from opposing desegregated busing to supporting same-sex marriage.
39) In 2019, President Donald Trump called Harris “mean” for her questioning of Attorney General William Barr during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
40) Harris’ inconsistent stance on health care during her 2020 campaign raised doubts among voters.
41) Harris avoided discussing her career as a prosecutor in detail during her 2020 presidential campaign, leading to criticism and uncertainty among voters.
42) Harris ended her presidential campaign in December 2019 due to financial difficulties and low poll numbers. One aide called it the worst presidential campaign they had ever experienced.
43) She hesitated to support Joe Biden until March 8, 2020, when his nomination was virtually certain.
44) Harris’ father once publicly criticized her for citing her Jamaican heritage in her support for marijuana legalization.
45) Harris has said she has tried marijuana – which earned her criticism for accusing many people of the same crime – and she enjoys listening to Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre.
46) As Vice President, Harris was the face of three major policy issues: abortion rights, immigration and border control, and voting rights.
47) As Vice President, Harris founded the public-private initiative Central America Forward, which has generated $5.2 billion since 2020. More than 50 companies and organizations have committed to supporting economic growth in the Central America region.
48) Harris led the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, but the bill failed in 2021 due to a Republican filibuster, preventing her from casting the deciding vote.
49) In September 2023, President Biden established the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, whose goal is to curb gun violence. Vice President Harris will oversee its work, according to a White House statement.
50) Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech lasted 37 minutes, making it one of the shortest acceptance speeches. The record for the shortest speech is held by George McGovern in 1972 (22 minutes). Harris will not want to repeat McGovern’s record, which saw him lose the election to Nixon by a landslide. McGovern only managed to win 17 electoral votes and one state (plus DC), while Nixon won 520 electoral votes and 49 states.
She told a rapt audience: “On behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks, on behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever embarked on their own improbable journey on behalf of Americans, like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, pursue their dreams and look out for each other, on behalf of everyone whose history could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.”
Here are 50 things you need to know about the vice president running against former President Donald Trump:
1) Kamala Harris is the first Black Man, the first Indian origin person and the first female vice president. She is also the first non-white presidential candidate.
2) Harris is the second non-white person to become Vice President (after Charles Curtis, whose mother was one-quarter Kaw) and the second female presidential candidate (after Hillary Clinton).
3) The old Tamil-Telugu rivalry is once again coming to the fore in the race for the White House, as JD Vance’s wife Usha Chilukuri Vance is of Telugu descent and Harris’ mother is Tamil.
4) Harris was born in Oakland, Californiaon October 20, 1964, as the eldest of two children of Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from India, and Donald Harris, an economist from Jamaica.
5) Her maternal grandparents were Tamil Brahmins from the Madras Presidency in British India, now known as the state of Tamil Nadu.
6) Harris has claimed that her maternal grandfather was one of “India’s first independence fighters” and “held the post of Foreign Secretary.” Both claims are improbable. Harris’ uncle, G. Balachandran, noted that if Gopalan had openly spoken out in favor of ending British rule, he would have lost his job.
7) Harris’ parents met at UC Berkeley and bonded over their shared passion for civil rights. Harris told a childhood story in which she told her mother “Fweedom,” which led to accusations of plagiarism when compared to a similar anecdote by Martin Luther King Jr.
8) When Harris was 7, her parents divorced and her mother raised her and her sister in Berkeley.
9 She says she embraced both her Native American and black identities as a child, and in her autobiography she wrote that she attended both a Baptist church and a temple: “My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters, and she was determined to make sure that we would grow up to be confident, proud black women.”
10) After high school, Harris attended Howard Universitya prestigious, historically black college in Washington, DC She studied political science and economics and joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha fraternity.
11) While studying law in San Francisco, Kamala Harris lived with her sister Maya and fondly remembers carefree moments that helped her cope with the pressures of studying.
12) In 1990, after passing the bar exam, Harris joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in Oakland, where she focused on sex crimes.
13) Harris briefly dated Montel Williams. There is a famous video of him introducing her to a crowd, the characterization of which is often misrepresented.
14) She also dated Willie Brown, a prominent California politician 30 years her senior, who lavished her with gifts and later joked that she might deport him if she became president.
15) Harris met her husband Doug Emhoff in 2013 after a mutual friend set them up on a blind date. After exchanging messages, they quickly connected and soon began dating.
16) During a debate for California Attorney General, Harris delivered a sharp retort to her opponent over his comment about double taxation, a moment considered a turning point in her career. The NYT called it the “47 seconds that saved her career.”
17) Harris failed to win any delegates in the debate at the 2020 Democratic National Convention and was soundly defeated in a debate by Tulsi Gabbard.
18) She is often referred to as the “female Obama,” a comparison she does not like.
19) Gavin Newsom was elected mayor of San Francisco in the same election cycle that Harris rose to prominence; the two remain close friends.
20) During her first three years as district attorney, San Francisco’s conviction rate rose from 52% to 67%.
21) In 2004, Harris made the controversial decision not to seek the death penalty for the man who killed a San Francisco police officer, leading to a rift with police unions.
22) As California’s attorney general, Harris declined to support two ballot initiatives that would have abolished the death penalty, leading to accusations of inconsistency.
23) Since being endorsed by Joe Biden, Harris has reversed course on several progressive policies, including a ban on fracking, a national health care system, and a federal jobs guarantee.
24) Harris was the first prominent California official to endorse Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential bid, marking the beginning of their friendship. But she hates being called the “female Obama,” pointing out that she has her own legacy.
25) As attorney general, Harris was criticized for her handling of a scandal involving a criminal lab technician who stole cocaine and mishandled evidence, which led to the dismissal of about a thousand drug-related cases.
26) Her race for Attorney General of California in 2010 was very close and she won by a narrow margin.
27) In 2010, Harris supported a controversial law in San Francisco that made truancy a misdemeanor, a move that was both praised and criticized.
28) As Attorney General, she refused to sign a national mortgage settlement and instead promised $20 billion to California homeowners.
29) One of her key achievements as Attorney General was the launch of the Open Justice initiative, an online platform for criminal justice data.
30) In 2012, Harris declined to prosecute OneWest Bank for misconduct related to foreclosures, a decision that was later criticized.
31) Harris has been criticized for not taking a more forceful stance against police brutality during her tenure as attorney general, particularly for failing to investigate certain police shootings.
32) In 2013, President Obama called Harris the “best-looking attorney general in the country,” a statement he later apologized for.
33) There were rumors that Harris was a possible nominee for the Supreme Court under the Obama administration, but she stated she was not interested.
34) In 2014, Harris married corporate lawyer Doug Emhoff in a small ceremony officiated by her sister.
35) In 2016, Harris won her U.S. Senate election, defeating fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez.
36) Harris gained national attention in 2017 for her targeted questioning of then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions during the Russia investigation.
37) She took a similar approach during Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings to the Supreme Court in 2018, questioning him about his knowledge of the Mueller investigation.
38) Harris’ most ardent online supporters are known as the “KHive,” inspired by Beyoncé’s fan base, the “Beyhive.”
38) The most notable moment of her presidential campaign came during the first Democratic debate, when she confronted Joe Biden over his stance on cross-district busing in the 1970s. Biden has transformed during his time in office from opposing desegregated busing to supporting same-sex marriage.
39) In 2019, President Donald Trump called Harris “mean” for her questioning of Attorney General William Barr during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
40) Harris’ inconsistent stance on health care during her 2020 campaign raised doubts among voters.
41) Harris avoided discussing her career as a prosecutor in detail during her 2020 presidential campaign, leading to criticism and uncertainty among voters.
42) Harris ended her presidential campaign in December 2019 due to financial difficulties and low poll numbers. One aide called it the worst presidential campaign they had ever experienced.
43) She hesitated to support Joe Biden until March 8, 2020, when his nomination was virtually certain.
44) Harris’ father once publicly criticized her for citing her Jamaican heritage in her support for marijuana legalization.
45) Harris has said she has tried marijuana – which earned her criticism for accusing many people of the same crime – and she enjoys listening to Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre.
46) As Vice President, Harris was the face of three major policy issues: abortion rights, immigration and border control, and voting rights.
47) As Vice President, Harris founded the public-private initiative Central America Forward, which has generated $5.2 billion since 2020. More than 50 companies and organizations have committed to supporting economic growth in the Central America region.
48) Harris led the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, but the bill failed in 2021 due to a Republican filibuster, preventing her from casting the deciding vote.
49) In September 2023, President Biden established the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, whose goal is to curb gun violence. Vice President Harris will oversee its work, according to a White House statement.
50) Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech lasted 37 minutes, making it one of the shortest acceptance speeches. The record for the shortest speech is held by George McGovern in 1972 (22 minutes). Harris will not want to repeat McGovern’s record, which saw him lose the election to Nixon by a landslide. McGovern only managed to win 17 electoral votes and one state (plus DC), while Nixon won 520 electoral votes and 49 states.
