Why it matters: It's unclear if the party will fall in line behind the Berkeley native, who has Biden's endorsement , and she won't automatically pick up Biden's delegates at the Democratic National Convention.
Being bused to Thousand Oaks Elementary School starting in 1970 — its second year of integration — was a formative experience for Harris, who wrote in her autobiography about traveling every day from her predominantly Black, lower-income neighborhood to the more affluent white district.
She got a career boost in the mid-90s when then-Assembly Speaker Willie Brown appointed her to two state commissions. (The two were dating at the time but broke up before Brown was inaugurated as San Francisco mayor in 1996.)
From there, she successfully ran for San Francisco DA in 2003, boosting the city's conviction rate from 52% to 67% during her first three years in office.
Harris formed crucial relationships with wealthy contacts in Pacific Heights as an up-and-coming politician. They served as a launching pad when she kicked off her DA campaign in 2002.
Some of these donors are already coalescing behind her, with one telling the New York Times Harris will " energize and excite " voters of color.
Inconsistent record
Critics have long highlighted what they perceive to be Harris' wishy-washiness on issues like criminal justice.
She faced accusations of political opportunism after she declined to support two ballot initiatives to ban the death penalty while serving as AG — despite not pursuing it in the Espinoza case.
What we're watching: Some Democratic officials and operatives are shepherding a movement to bypass Harris as Biden's successor — or at least make the nomination a contest with other candidates.
Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement Sunday that the party will "undertake a transparent and orderly process" to select a candidate "who can defeat" former President Trump .
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0