Following intense pressure from mega donors and party elites, President Joe Biden officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on July 21. Democrats then swiftly crowned VP Kamala Harris as the nominee, though she did not receive a single vote.
So who is Kamala Harris?
Background
Harris was born in 1964 to successful parents; her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris was the daughter of an Indian diplomat and became a scientist and a cancer researcher. Her father, Donald J. Harris, was an economist who taught at Stanford University and was described by the Stanford Daily as a “Marxist scholar.”
Harris’ parents divorced when she was seven-years-old and she was largely raised by her mother, who was Hindu. Gopalan, who passed away in 2009, told the Los Angeles Times in 2004 that Harris was named after the Hindu goddess Lakshmi (Kamala means “lotus,” another name for Lakshmi). “A culture that worships goddesses produces strong women,” Gopalan boasted.
Harris grew up in Berkeley until she was about 12-years-old, and then attended high school in Montreal, Canada. Notably, when Harris ran for her party’s 2020 presidential nomination, she suggested Biden was a racist because of his past position on bussing. Harris said she was one of the little girls who first integrated her segregated school.
However, Harris was born after the Civil Rights Act was signed, and California never had segregated schools. Her school in Berkeley was not legally segregated, instead some lawmakers argued that it was “de facto segregated” because of the demographic makeup of the school, based on where students lived.
After attending high school in Canada, Harris chose to go to Howard University, where she says her political identity began to take shape.
Ascension In California Politics
Harris took off in California politics with the help of a married man she dated back in 1994 named Willie Brown. Harris was then a 29-year-old prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office while Brown was the 60-year-old speaker of the California Assembly and known as the “godfather” of California politics.
Brown was married at the time, but says he and his wife were estranged when he dated Harris. According to a Sacramento Bee reporter, Brown “had a succession of girlfriends” and he would frequent parties “with his wife on one arm and his girlfriend on the other.”
During their relationship, Brown appointed Harris to two well-paying board positions that her resume at the time probably would not qualify her for: the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and the Medical Assistance Commission. Brown has also boasted to the press that he helped Harris get elected as San Francisco District Attorney in 2004.
“Amateur Hour” author Charlie Spiering told The Daily Wire that the board positions were highly lucrative for Harris.
“At this point, she’s a relatively unknown Alameda County prosecutor in California, but her relationship with Willie Brown really puts her on the stage,” Spiering said. “Brown takes her to all of the donor parties, introduces her to the makers and shakers of San Francisco [and] he also gives her a state position on a board that pays her a significant amount of money – around $400,000 over just a couple years on these boards. Adjust that for inflation, and that’s almost a million dollars today.”
“It really helped kick-start her career,” he said, adding that Brown bought her a BMW, as well. “This relationship is very lucrative for Harris and it really sets her up to be in a perfect spot to ultimately run for public office herself, with the support of Brown behind the scenes.”
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
“Kamala Harris doesn’t like to talk about Willie Brown,” Spiering added. “She doesn’t. She thinks it’s very unfair to even mention it. She doesn’t even mention her relationship with Willie Brown in her memoirs, but it’s definitely a very important part of the story.”
LISTEN: Hear Amanda Prestigiacomo’s full report on Kamala Harris on Morning Wire
Her Time As San Fran District Attorney
After apparently using Brown’s connections, Harris becomes San Francisco’s 27th DA in 2004. There she created a “Environmental Crimes Unit” and a Hate Crimes Unit that focused on “LGBTQ+ children and teens in schools.” She also officiated one of the city’s first same-sex weddings and she refused to seek the death penalty for a cop killer.
One of her most controversial moves, however, came when her office kept illegal immigrant criminals out of jail, instead lining them up for a jobs program called “Back on Track,” highlighted by Free Beacon editor Peter Hasson. One of the illegals picked for the program evaded jail time for a felony drug charge and went on to steal a woman’s purse and run her down in an SUV. The woman fractured her skull and said the perpetrator was laughing as she hit the front windshield.
Harris As AG
Harris then ran for Attorney General of California in 2010. She narrowly beat out a Republican for the spot and served two terms. Her office famously wrote up the summary for Proposition 47, an extremely controversial law that lessens penalties for a host of crimes, including thefts under $950 dollars. Her office named the proposition the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” which critics have said is misleading. Prop 47 has since been tied to an explosion in crimes.
Harris also opened the investigation into pro-life journalists at the Center for Medical Progress and ordered a raid on the home of one of those journalists, David Daleiden. Their undercover videos show Planned Parenthood executives talking about selling aborted baby parts, which is illegal. Her office charged the group with violating state privacy laws when she left for the U.S. Senate.
Harris also oversaw nearly 2,000 convictions for marijuana violations, which came under scrutiny during her 2020 campaign since Harris famously laughed about smoking marijuana during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” a NYC-based radio show.
WATCH: Kamala Harris admitted, on a radio interview with The Breakfast Club, to have smoked pot in college; suggesting she did so while listening to Tupac and Snoop.
Tupac’s 1st album came out in 1991. Snoop’s 1st album came out in 1993. Kamala Harris graduated college in 1986. pic.twitter.com/g60MG8ifc5
— The Reel News (@TheReelofNews) February 12, 2019
Time In The Senate
Harris then served in the U.S. Senator from 2017 to 2021. Notably, a nonpartisan transparency organization called GovTrack rated Harris as the most liberal Senator, which means she was ranked as further Left-wing than Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is an open socialist.
As a senator, she sponsored a bill for universal basic income for households making up to $100,000. She also moved to cap rents and utility payments; she cosponsored legislation with Bernie Sanders for taxpayers to fund college tuition for households making up to $125,000, which would cost trillions of dollars. She also cosponsored legislation for higher income taxes to pay for Medicare for All.
On the border, Harris suggested ICE – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements – needed to be abolished and replaced with something different.
Kamala Harris is a radical.
Here is Kamala Harris saying that we need to get rid of ICE and think about “starting from scratch.” ICE deports thousands of murderers and rapists every year. Kamala Harris wants an end to that.pic.twitter.com/5XCEH0w9n9
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) July 21, 2024
Her 2020 Run
Harris staked out far-Left positions during her 2020 bid. For one, she called for an outright ban of fracking. “There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking,” she said. “And starting with what we can do on Day 1 around public lands. … This is something I’ve taken on in California. I have a history on this issue.”
Kamala Harris: “There’s no question. I’m in favor of banning fracking.”
This should go over well in Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/a5vcp4HBWz
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 22, 2024
Harris’ support for the single-payer, Medicare for All bill would eliminate private health insurance. She confirmed to CNN host Jake Tapper. “Let’s eliminate all of that. Let’s move on,” she stated.
🚨 FLASHBACK: Kamala Harris says she wants to ELIMINATE private health insurance for HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of Americans — even if they like their plan.
TALK ABOUT A DISASTER!!!pic.twitter.com/8KHkGverqa
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) July 23, 2024
Further, Harris called for the bill to extend to illegal immigrants, too:
FLASHBACK: Kamala Harris tells Jake Tapper she endorses universal healthcare and Medicare-for-all for illegal immigrants. pic.twitter.com/pwRdtOogVq
— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) July 23, 2024
She’s also on record praising Australia’s strict gun ban and supporting gun confiscation through a mandatory gun buy-back program for up to 10 million guns in the U.S.
#VetHarris
Kamala Harris: I support a mandatory gun buyback to take AR-15s off the streets.
Mandatory buybacks is just a deceptive way of saying confiscation.
— Faith In America (@NWIPatriots) July 23, 2024
On crime, Harris said in a campaign memo that she wanted to “end mass incarceration,” proposing the elimination of cash bail and court-ordered fines. And when it comes to illegal immigration, Harris is on record saying the U.S. should not treat those who cross the border illegally “as criminals.”
“I am in favor of saying that we are not going to treat people who are undocumented who cross the border as criminals, correct,” Harris said. “That is correct.”
Sen. Harris has embraced far-left immigration policies, including decriminalizing border crossings.pic.twitter.com/oprCkFYGZs
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 11, 2020
Harris As Veep
Biden did indeed tap Harris as “border czar” – despite the media’s attempt to memory-hole the truth. Harris, though, has reportedly never spoken to the Border Patrol chief and did not actually visit the border until June of 2021. NBC News host Lester Holt famously confronted Harris about why she hadn’t made her way down to the border:
“We are going to the border. We’ve been to the border,” Harris told Holt. “This whole thing about the border – we’ve been to the border. We’ve been to the border.”
“You haven’t been to the border,” Holt responded. “And I haven’t been to Europe,” Harris answered.
Kamala Harris literally had just ONE job, as “Border Czar”. On a scale of 1 to 10, how well has she done? If you’re not sure, this short video should help. pic.twitter.com/iVZM9k5qLP
— GREG SWAIM SHOW (@GSwaim) July 24, 2024
Under Biden and Harris, border crossings hit an all-time high, averaging around 2 million per year, which doesn’t include the “gotaways” or the more than 1 million parole migrants. Among those encounters were 362 individuals who were on the terror watchlist. The total number of encounters under the Biden-Harris administration is expected to reach 10 million by the end of this fiscal year.
The issue is tied closely with the opioid crisis, as most of the fentanyl in the country comes across the border illegally.
Harris also has an extreme position on abortion, supporting the fatal procedure for reason up until the point of birth. There is not a single abortion restriction Harris is on record supporting. As VP, she notably went on an abortion “tour” in battleground states and even toured an abortion clinic.
Harris As Effective Nominee
A major theme from Harris’ early campaigning is generating fear about former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. In one of her first events, Harris claimed Trump “openly vowed” to be a “dictator” on Day 1, even far-Left fact-checking sites have acknowledged that Trump actually said he wouldn’t be a dictator during an interview on Fox News, but in jest he said “except for day 1,” referring to closing the border and drilling for oil.
Harris and her advocates are also warning voters about the perils of “Project 2025,” which is conservative plan from the Heritage Foundation. It’s unclear what is so outrageous about the plan, but Trump has repeatedly said he’s never seen the plan and doesn’t support it.
The VP also claimed Trump “intends to cut Social Security and Medicare,” though he didn’t do that in his first term and has said he won’t in a second term.
