20 Democrats Who Could Run for President in 2020
By April Jones
California Attorney General Kamala Harris waves a rainbow flag while participating in the San Francisco Pride parade in San Francisco, California on Sunday, June, 26, 2016. / AFP / Josh Edelson (Photo credit should read JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)
8. Kamala Harris
It’s probably safe to say that America may be ready for a woman president, even if it wasn’t quite ready for that woman to be Hillary Clinton. Kamala Harris, on the other hand, could be that woman. As attorney general for California and a recently elected senator for her state, Harris is on a political path that could be headed towards the White House. If that were the case, she would not only be the first woman president but also the first Asian-American and Indian-American to take over the Oval Office.
Senator-elect Harris wouldn’t need to look very far for a campaign adviser when the time comes. Her younger sister, Maya Harris, was one of three senior advisers on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. Both of the Harris women are law school graduates who used their degrees to go into public service and advocacy. During her time as District Attorney in San Francisco and as Attorney General of California, Harris built a reputation as a civil rights advocate. She established a hate crime unit in San Francisco and fought for prison reform across the state.
When Senator Barbara Boxer announced her retirement, Harris was one of the first to announce her candidacy for Boxer’s seat in the Senate. She had a sizable lead right out of the gate and raised an impressive amount of campaign donations within months.
Among her platform issues are gun control (she’s for it) and the death penalty (she’s against it). Harris has also vowed to protect immigrants from Trump’s proposed plans and has worked towards protecting the environment from pollution by major corporations. Harris also made a name for herself in the pro-choice debate when she took on the anti-choice groups that had falsified videos to make it seem as if Planned Parenthood was selling aborted fetuses.