Kamala Harris became internationally known as a politician when she applied for the presidential candidacy of the US Democrats. A portrait of the politician.
- Kamala Harris is a US Democrat politician and lawyer .
- She was the second African American woman in the US Senate .
- The former prosecutor applied in her party for the 2020 presidential election.
Washington - Just 24 hours after Democratic Senator Kamala Harris announced that she wanted to be the top candidate for the 2020 US presidential election *, her donation account had already reached $ 1.5 million. This was particularly interesting as these donations were only achieved through 38,000 small donors. Like more and more democratic candidates, the candidate leaned on Democratic Square in the upcoming presidential campaignDonate from big investors. Nevertheless, she reached a record amount of donations within a very short time - only Bernie Sanders (78) received more in 2016. Ultimately, with Joe Biden (76), he was one of the heavyweights in the primaries of the democratic party. Politically, it stands between the two political greats.
Harris already seems to have popularity ratings among the US population - but whether they can secure their way to the top of the Democrats in the long term is another matter. Pre-election polls placed her in the middle among Democratic applicants - behind Joe Biden Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Kamala Harris is followed by candidates such as Pete Buttigieg * and Andrew Yang. However, polls for Kamala Harris were too weak, which is why she withdrew her application for the presidential candidacy in early December
At least one thing became clear: Harris was one of the harshest critics of US President Donald Trump among the Democratic applicants. She also gave out violently against Joe Biden because he had worked with politicians who advocated segregation.
US election candidate Kamala Harris: youth and education
The child of a Jamaican economics professor and an Indian-born scientist, she was born on October 20, 1964 and spent his childhood in the United States with Harris . Politics was already part of her cradle: she attended political demonstrations for human rights in her pram. When she was twelve, there was a big move: with her mother, who later died of cancer, and her sister went to Montreal, Canada , where Harris graduated from high school. Her sister Maya Harris plays a particularly important role - also as a campaign manager. She had previous experience with this - she worked for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election campaign.
After studying politics and economics in Washington DC , Kamala Harris turned to law and completed a law degree in California . She has been a lawyer since the early 1990s and can look back on a remarkable career. Because although she grew up among activists, she wanted to change the system from within - from a position of power and not in street fighting. Always with a smile - but also with authority familiar from the judiciary.
Like Obama: Kamala Harris' remarkable career as a lawyer
She started her professional career as an Alameda County Attorney before working for the San Francisco District Attorney . From there, she then rose to the top of California: In 2011, the power woman fought her way into the office of Attorney General and Justice Minister in the state.
In this regard, she was a sensation in California in many ways: on the one hand she was the first female federal prosecutor and on the other hand the first person with an African-American and Indian background to hold the office. She was commonly known as particularly tough in the office - a strength that she also demonstrated in the Democrats' TV debate against Joe Biden. Sharp questions, constant re-drilling and great ambition are her greatest skills. It was only when she was elected to the U.S. Senate that she resigned in 2017.
Democrats in the US election campaign: Kamala Harris' political career
Even after her career as a prosecutor, Harris was able to achieve further successes - but above all in politics. As the second African American woman, she moved into the US Senate. From her role, she made a name for herself as a keen critic of Donald Trump's immigration policy.
Her time as a prosecutor brings a lot of criticism to Kamala Harris
However, the story of a progressive politician cannot spin the Democratic candidate for the US primary. Critics accuse her of being a system prosecutor herself and doing too little to change the status quo. Among other things, it did not support an initiative to abolish the death penalty. It is against this type of punishment - but it was not specific to this sensitive issue. She also held back on a shallower drug law. A line that runs through many of her decisions as Minister of Justice.
As a lawyer, Harris knows one thing: anything she says can be used against her, and every mistake finds a critic. Therefore, she chooses her words and steps carefully, as a lawyer she has rarely been able to represent the progressive positions for which she stands today. With her cautious behavior, she is a refreshing contrast to the incumbent President Trump, but many of her supporters called for clearer positions. Of course, that did not go past Harris, as a candidate for the presidential candidacy she was always clear.
Check out this post on Instagram
The words I spoke in Oakland still ring true today: We know America is better than this - but it's on us to build it.
A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) on Jul 13, 2019 at 1:54 am PDT
Kamala Harris: Your political positions
Many points from Harris' election campaign for the 2020 United States primary are reminiscent of Barack Obama's political past. Their political goals also have progressive backgrounds and are on the left side of the spectrum among US Democrats. In general, she has some similarities with Obama: Obama also started the presidential election campaign during his first term as a senator - and the two have legal training in common. Can that lead to success? She is responsible for these key political positions:
- Health : Harris is committed to providing universal health insurance for all Americans.
- Immigration : In the past, Harris took a clear stand against the planned wall on the Mexican border, which plays a central role in Trump's policy. She also campaigns for the rights of people who illegally came to the United States as children.
- Climate : In February 2019, Harris signed the "Green New Deal" - the stated goal: The United States should rely 100 percent on clean and renewable energies in 10 years.
- Abortion : The US politician supports the right to abortion and is also committed to women's rights.
- LGBTQ : Harris supports same-sex marriage and campaigns for the rights of different sexual orientations.
- Education : Harris wants to drop tuition fees especially for low-income families, while Harris is committed to early education, for example in the form of a pre-kindergarten.
- Weapons : Harris supports stricter gun laws, but as a lawyer, as in many other areas, has held less progressive positions in the past.
In her recent TV debates, Kamala Harris caused a sensation primarily through her harsh attacks and clear words. So she could compete against Donald Trump in the election campaign - but whether it will make it to the top of the Democrats in the future is difficult to predict. Because her past brought her a lot of criticism.
* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network
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