Portrait of America's 'female Obama' - Congresswoman Kamala Harris

The choice of a running mate remains a mystery that candidate Joe Biden has not yet made public. But according to US media, there are now only two names on the shortlist, and one of them is Ms. Kamala Harris.

Message from the immigrants

Kamala Harris, 56, entered politics four years ago and only gained widespread attention after announcing her bid for the White House in 2020. However, she dropped out shortly after and announced her support for Joe Biden. Many people commented that she seemed to be suitable for Democratic voters, but would have a hard time winning, however, being in the second position is completely possible.

Regardless of gender, ethnicity, age or ideology, Ms. Harris has many advantages to become a figure “below one, above ten thousand”. Harris’s story is the story of an America in full change, according to CNN columnist Neil Makhija.

Congresswoman Kamala Harris. Photo: Reuters

Kamala is the daughter of immigrants, her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian. Coming from an immigrant family was a theme that Harris used as a message when she announced her candidacy for president. And the person who was mentioned most often and had the most influence on Harris's thinking and career was her mother.

“My mother always said, don’t sit there and complain about things, just do something,” Harris told 20,000 supporters at a rally in Oakland in late December 2019. The senator also said she always remembered her mother’s words: “You can be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.”

Kamala Harris - US Senator

Harris’s approach to sharing her family story with voters is similar to that of previous American leaders. Like Barack Obama’s stories about his single mother who woke him up at 5 a.m. to study, or Bill Clinton’s story about his strong mother who raised the family after his father died in a car accident, Harris uses her parents as an embodiment of the values ​​she is fighting for. For her supporters, the senator’s family’s immigration story is almost a tacit rebuke to President Trump’s restrictive immigration policies.

Kamala Harris, back row left, pictured with her family as a child. Photo: Los Angeles Times

"Female Obama"

Kamala graduated from Howard University and studied law at the University of California, Hastings College. She began her career as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California, before becoming the district attorney of San Francisco. In 2010, Kamala Harris narrowly defeated her Republican opponent to become Attorney General of California.

Six years later, she was elected to the Senate, becoming the second woman of color to ever hold this position. Harris supports gun control, the LGBT community, health insurance for all, etc. Because of the similarities in her approach to social issues and her graduation from law school, Kamala has been dubbed the “female Obama” - a way of both praising and comparing her to former President Barack Obama.

As California’s attorney general, Harris has attracted the attention of national Democrats, including President Barack Obama. In her native California, Harris is regarded as a shrewd but cautious prosecutor who has pursued progressive reform, signing a series of progressive policies, including reforming Immigration and Customs Enforcement, legalizing marijuana, and implementing an education program for first-time drug offenders, rather than leaving them behind bars.

Senator Kamala Harris kicks off her campaign with a rally in Oakland, California, on January 27. Photo: Noah Berger / AFP / Getty Images

But she has also defended the state’s death penalty and fought for harsher punishments for parents of chronically truant children. Videos of Harris questioning Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick for the U.S. Supreme Court, have gone viral. The media has called these moves “resistance” against Trump, and Harris has gained more attention.

Entering politics in 2016, Senator Harris represents a new breed of politician with a more modern outlook, able to connect with younger members of the party and represent a dynamic, fresh perspective. A survey late last year at the time of her candidacy showed that she was second only to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez among the most engaged Democrats on social media. She was also seen as more down-to-earth and moderate than more established Democrats, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

First female US Vice President?

If she is chosen to run with Joe Biden, Ms. Harris will have the opportunity to become the first woman of color to assume the office of President of the United States if Mr. Biden is elected. The most important criteria Mr. Biden sets for his running mate is someone who “can be what he was to former President Barack Obama: a friend and confidant who puts her own political interests below those of her leader.”

Democratic presidential candidate praised Ms. Harris as a talented person. Photo: Reuters

It is not clear what Mr. Biden's choice will be, but many people believe Kamala Harris will be chosen. During a speech at a campaign event in Wilmington, Delaware on July 28, a reporter's lens captured a handwritten note from Mr. Biden. The note contained Ms. Harris's name, along with an outline of 5 key points when speaking, stating the contents as "not holding grudges", "talented", "helped the campaign a lot", "respected her a lot" and finally "joined the campaign with me and Jill (Mr. Biden's wife)". The phrase "not holding grudges" is said to be Mr. Biden's way of referring to the memorable debate between him and Ms. Harris on television last year. The photo of the handwritten note further reinforced speculation that Ms. Harris would be chosen as his running mate.

At this point, the role of a running mate is very important, not only accompanying but also consolidating the candidate's position in the upcoming race, partly deciding the voter's vote. In the context of immigration and racial discrimination, which are always painful topics in American society, a person like Kamala Harris could very well be a powerful "right-hand man" for candidate Joe Biden in this year's race to the White House.