Utah (ABC4 News) – The lone vice presidential debate is set to be held in Salt Lake City this year on Oct. 7 at Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah. Current Vice President Mike Pence and Joe Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, will go head to head in the debate. With the debate looming, many are wondering more about our vice-presidential candidates. So, let’s take a closer look into who Kamala Harris is.
Kamala Harris has the potential to become the United States’ first-ever female vice president as she was selected as Joe Biden’s running mate earlier this month.
Harris hails from California and in recent years stepped into the political spotlight when she was elected to the U.S. senate in 2016. Previous to 2016, Harris served as California’s attorney general beginning in 2010.
Her start in local politics began in 2003 when she became the District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco.
According to Harris’ official website, she was born on Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, California to immigrant parents. Her father was originally from Jamaica, and her mother was originally from India. Her parents met as graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Harris’ parents divorced when she was 7-years-old, she grew up with her mother and sister. She lived in Montreal, Canada for her Jr. High and High School years as her mother was teaching at McGill University in Montreal.
According to her website, Harris attended Howard University for her undergraduate degree and then attended the University of California, Hastings for her law degree. Upon her law school graduation, Harris began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office in California.
Harris was vying for the Democratic presidential bid until she dropped out of the race in December of 2019, a month before the Iowa caucus.
Harris endorsed Joe Biden for president on March 8 and was selected as his running mate on Aug. 11.
Harris married Douglas Emhoff in 2014 and is the step-mother to his two children.
Harris and Pence will meet up in the vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City on Oct. 7. Pence is the current vice president and former governor of Indiana. Read more about Pence.
