Who is Democratic candidate Kamala Harris?

(CLO) US Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to become the first female president of the world's largest economy. To accomplish this feat, she will have to overcome Republican candidate Donald Trump in the US election on November 5.

From Joe Biden’s running mate in August 2020, Kamala Harris is now presenting herself as a charismatic and dynamic leader of a new era: a woman of color and the child of immigrants who entered politics after fighting her way up to become California’s top prosecutor.

The question will be whether she can overcome and claim the presidency for herself against former President Donald Trump.

Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Reuters

Harris was born to educated immigrants in Oakland, California, in 1964. Her mother was Indian breast cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan, and her father was economics professor Donald J. Harris, who was from Jamaica. Both parents were active in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

According to Harris's autobiography, "The Truths We Hold," the experience influenced her own career. She recalled her mother telling her and her younger sister, Maya, "Don't just sit there and complain about things. Do something!"

His parents' marriage fell apart when Harris was seven. Five years later, Gopalan took a research job in Canada and they moved to Montreal.

The future US Vice President attended high school in Canada before moving back to the US to study political science and economics in Washington, then to his native California to study law in 1986.

Ms. Harris passed the bar exam in 1990 and began her career as a district attorney, rising through the ranks to become California's attorney general in 2011. She is the first Black woman and South Asian American to hold the position.

From left, Kamala Harris and her sister Maya with their mother Shyamala. Photo: picture-alliance

"Top Cop" in California

Harris's career as a prosecutor has been mixed. She has portrayed herself as California's "top cop," but has angered police by refusing to seek the death penalty even in cases of officer killings. At the same time, she has been criticized for not doing more to address corruption in law enforcement.

She initiated a system of heavy fines and possible jail time for parents whose children were too truant, which disproportionately affected families of color.

In 2015, she announced that she would run for the US Senate and received the support of Mr. Biden and President Barack Obama. In 2017, she became the second black woman to serve in the Senate. In 2019, she launched her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, with Mr. Biden as one of her opponents.

Debate with Mr. Biden

During a debate, Ms Harris accused Mr Biden of collaborating with US senators to oppose a practice of sending children from minority areas to predominantly white schools to diversify classrooms.

Mr. Biden responded by saying she had “misread” his views and noted that he chose to be a “public defender” rather than a prosecutor during the unrest following the assassination of former Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ms Harris eventually dropped out of the race to become the Democratic presidential nominee and endorsed Mr Biden, who then asked her to be his “vice-president”.

Criticized for border crisis

Biden and Harris fought a tough campaign together and ultimately defeated Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. They were sworn in on January 20, 2021. Harris made history once again — she is the first woman, the first black person, and the first person of Indian descent to serve as vice president of the United States.

The job gives Ms Harris the authority to take over the government in the event of the president's death or if he is deemed unable to perform his duties.

In 2021, Mr. Biden tasked her with tackling immigration by addressing the “root causes” that drive people to leave Latin America. “I can’t think of anyone more qualified to do this,” Mr. Biden said of Ms. Harris at the time.

But despite Harris’ efforts and meetings with Latin American leaders, the number of undocumented border crossers has continued to rise, hitting a record high last year. Republicans have been quick to criticize Harris for failing to stem the flow of people crossing the border.

Support abortion rights

Harris has found another battleground against her political opponents. When the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back abortion rights in large parts of the country in 2022, Harris became a strong voice in defense of abortion rights. Earlier this year, she embarked on a “Fight for Reproductive Freedom” tour across the country.

"Extremists across our country continue to wage an all-out assault on hard-won and successfully fought-for freedoms," Harris was quoted as saying by the White House.

Mr Trump has endorsed the Supreme Court’s ruling. Just days before the Trump-Biden debate on June 27, Ms Harris warned that reproductive rights would be at risk if Mr Trump were re-elected.

Handpicked by Mr. Biden

After Mr Biden’s poor debate performance, Ms Harris remained among the president’s strongest supporters, even as other Democrats nominated her and others to replace Mr Biden on the presidential ballot.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing shortly after the debate that one of the reasons Mr Biden picked Ms Harris “is because she is truly the future of the party”.

When Mr. Biden canceled his re-election campaign, Ms. Harris asserted her position as the favorite candidate.

At the Democratic National Convention in August, Harris was confirmed as the nominee, along with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.

Although Ms. Harris led in the polls from the early days of her candidacy, the race became more intense in late October, when many national polls showed her and Mr. Donald Trump tied in the popular vote, and a 50/50 contest in seven battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — was likely to decide the outcome of the presidential election on November 5.

Ngoc Anh (according to DW)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bau-cu-my-con-7-ngay-ung-cu-vien-dang-dan-chu-kamala-harris-la-ai-post318992.html