Senator Kamala D. Harris has officialy joined the 2020 presidential election as she announced her candidacy Monday morning.
Harris, 54 and the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, made the announcement during an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and through a video that was posted online.
“The future of our country depends on you and millions of others lifting our voices to fight for our American values,” Harris said in the video. “That’s why I’m running for president of the United States.”
Harris is now part of the Democratic race, two years after joining the Senate. As part of the Senate, Harris has a seat on the Judiciary Committee, which she proved her inquistivity and skepticism during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings.
Harris became the first Black woman elected district attorney in California in 2003 and went on to become the state’s first female, first African American, and frist Asian American to hold the postition of attorney general in 2010.
“Senator Harris blazed a trail for women in law enforcement as attorney general in California and now she is fighting for women and families as a U.S. senator,” said National Partnership President Debra L. Ness.
Harris’s announcement came on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On “Good Morning America,” Harris noted that it was “very important” to tie her campaign to Dr. King and his civil rights movement, calling him “aspirational” and realistic about America’s flaws.
Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for president in a major party, launched her campaign 47 years ago this week.
On Sunday January 27, Harris will give an offical speech in Oakland, California.
Harris released a book, “The Truths We Hold” on January 8.