The Story:
Kamala Harris (D – Ca), a first-term US Senator, in an appearance on an ABC television program, “Good Morning America,” Monday, January 21, announced that she is a candidate for President of the United States.
Background:
Harris first came to national attention while she served as Attorney General of the State of California, 2011 to 2017. In 2011, in that capacity, she created the state’s Mortgage Fraud Task Force, to investigate financial crimes of a sort that had received widespread public attention due to the financial crises of 2007-09.
In 2015, she developed the Bureau of Children’s Justice, designed to work on a range of child-centered issues, from the juvenile justice system to enforcement gaps in the reporting of child abuse.
In 2016, because Senator Barbara Boxer declined to run for another term, the campaign for the open California Senate seat was wide open. Harris came in first in the non-partisan “blanket primary,” a field of thirty-seven candidates in the first round of voting. She then handily defeated Loretta Sanchez (also a Democrat) in the run-off, 62% to 38%.
The Thing to Know:
Harris has recruited a experienced, savvy campaign staff, starting with her campaign manager, Juan Rodriguez, who ran her 2016 Senate campaign. Angelique Cannon, who worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign for President, will be Harris’ national finance director.
