There has never been a presidential campaign like this one: an incumbent stepping aside, the compressed timeline, the return of a former president—now a convicted felon—as the Republican nominee. There has also never been a candidate like Kamala Harris.
It has not been a central feature of her campaign, but it is an undeniable feature of her life: In many ways, Harris has represented the first. With hours to go before election day, we take a look back at some of the pivotal moments in her life that brought her to this historic moment.
Born in Oakland, California, Kamala Harris grew up in a diverse community.
After attending Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of the Law, she began her career. In 2003, as she began to prep for the San Francisco district attorney race, she joined the city attorney’s office.
In 2010, Harris decided to run for attorney general of California after seven years as San Francisco district attorney.
In 2016, Harris ran for and won the race for Senate in California.
In January of 2019, Harris announced her run for the presidency.
In August of 2020, Joe Biden selected Harris as his running mate.
After a historic turn of events, with President Biden dropping out of the race, Harris took over as the Democratic nominee for president.
