Kamala Harris – Everything You Need to Know for the 2024 Election
By Nathan Colagross & Bella Wargo, Mentor High School (Ohio)
Advisor’s Note: For our profiles on the presidential candidates, Cardinal Nation chose the following methodology: two writers collaborated on both profiles. Each has their own preference for a candidate in the 2024 presidential race, and took the lead on writing the profile for the candidate they do NOT prefer. Their partner then had to approve the profile that the other student wrote. This is their objective summaries of the candidates facing off for President of the United States in the election that concludes on November 5.
On November 5th, the United States will select its 47th president to govern the nation for the next four years. The election season comes to a head after months of campaigns and debates by presidential candidates as well as voting from citizens of the United States. In the 2024 election season, two primary candidates are up for election: Democratic nominee Kamala D. Harris, Vice President under Joseph R. Biden, and Republican nominee Donald J. Trump Jr., the 45th President of the United States. Now, Cardinal Nation takes a deeper look into current Vice President Kamala Harris as she campaigns for a term as president, reviewing her start in politics, first term as vice president, and proposed policies if elected president of the Free World in November.
Origins
In Oakland, California on the 20th of October, 1964, Kamala D. Harris was born into a middle-class immigrant family. She and her sister Maya grew up inspired by their mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer scientist and avid civil rights activist. Her father, a Jamaican-American named Donald J. Harris, worked as an economist and professor at Stanford University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Growing up, Kamala was taught by her parents about the freedoms of the people as she was brought to civil rights marches and learned about Supreme Court Justices and other activists who impacted thousands of families like hers. Harris graduated from Westmount High School in 1981 and later studied politics and economics at Howard University in Washington, D.C..
Senator Kamala Harris (2019) speaking to attendees of the California Democratic Party State Convention (Gage Skidmore – Public Domain)
In 1989, Harris graduated from the UC Hastings College of Law and spent decades as an attorney, specializing in sexual assault cases of children, and eventually focusing on cases that dealt with incidents of robbery and homicide. Initiating her career in politics, Harris’s first major position as District Attorney of San Francisco began in 2004. During this period, she put an emphasis on supporting LGBTQ+ rights, establishing an environmental justice unit, and creating programs to help recovering drug addicts earn high school degrees. Later on in 2010, Harris became the Attorney General of California. She saw success by winning a 20 billion dollar settlement for Americans with foreclosed homes in LA and a 1.1 billion dollar settlement for student and veteran victims of a manipulative company.
Harris took a big step in 2017 by becoming a U.S. Senator and even serving on the Senate Select Committee of Intelligence, which was assigned to come up with appropriate legislation for a variety of government programs as well as ensure that the U.S. government followed the guidelines set forth by the Constitution.
Harris pictured in an interview with NBC, 2021 (Wikimedia Commons – Public Domain)
The 49th Vice-President
Despite her seeming lack of influence during Biden’s presidency, Harris achieved many notable things during her term as vice president. Firstly, the Biden-Harris administration accomplished economic improvements like creating jobs, increasing small business creation in just a 2-year period, and capping insulin at 35 dollars. The administration has also highlighted its progress to continue supporting women by expanding post-partum care through Medicaid. While in office, Harris was not mainly involved in the public eye and is mostly recognized for casting several tie-breaking votes in Congress. One of her votes resulted in the passage of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act to fight the climate crisis. Even more, the Biden-Harris administration also boasted record lows of illegal border crossings in 2024 since they arrived in office in 2021.
Current Policy
While Harris has not concretely established her full policy plan, she has made claims relating to the economy and immigration that are relevant to her values as a presidential candidate. Many voters also speculate that a Harris administration would continue the efforts of the previous Biden administration.
Economic
Harris has supported expanding the Child Tax Credit and has been the tie-breaking vote to increase the tax credit as vice president. While partnering with Biden to pass economic legislation, she has not taken any action alone to establish her economic policy, so most of her economic values are based on the Biden-Harris administration. A potential Harris administration also has plans to cut taxes for the middle and working class by restoring the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. While these policies are already in place, Harris claims that they will “give middle-class workers a break” as a main part of her economic plan.
Abortion
Harris has seemed to have a consistent view on abortion. Simply, she believes that women should have the right to abortion. Harris has been persistent in claiming that if elected, she will sign pro-abortion policies into law. Although it is unclear where Harris draws the line for legal abortions, she has openly stated that she does not support a national abortion ban.
Harris speaking at a Reproductive Freedom event, 2023 (Eric Elofson – Public Domain)
Immigration
Harris’s views on immigration have been relatively intriguing over the years, Leading up to her current campaign, she has supported border security programs involving hundreds of millions of dollars invested in border wall construction. Her future plans if elected president involve signing the border security bill and potentially implementing punishments for those who have illegally crossed into the United States. While Attorney General of California, Harris took action against crimes and drug gangs caused by illegal immigration. The Biden-Harris administration has also invested in securing the border over the course of Biden’s presidency to decrease border crossing.
Education
Harris has helped to invest over 100 billion dollars in student loan debt relief. Although she supports investments in education and student debt relief, her future policy proposals for the issue have yet to be clarified. Harris’s support of programs for the middle class to afford higher education is admired by voters. However, a more detailed plan from Harris outlining the specific improvements she will make during her term is still unknown. She has invested in improving the quality of community colleges and forming career pathways for members of the middle class who are non-college graduates.
Climate
Although she focuses more on economic issues in her campaign, Harris recognizes climate as a national and international crisis. Her views on some environmental concepts have been inconsistent. For example, Harris originally supported fracking but has changed her stance since being chosen as the democratic nominee. Tim Waltz, Harris’s running mate for vice president, has clarified that she is now against fracking and would prefer alternative methods to reduce reliance on foreign oil.
Firearms
A strong supporter of firearm safety regulations, Harris supports the continued use of federal funds to run weapon safety programs, such as red-flag laws, to prevent future weapon mishandling. Though being a gun owner herself, Harris would fight for a ban on assault weapons and background checks for weapon owners, if elected president.
Foreign
Harris is a longtime supporter of maintaining foreign relations, meeting with over 150 world leaders during her time as vice president. With foreign conflicts, Harris is a predominant supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia. She has also been one of the most passionate voices calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in the Israel conflict, maintaining support for the people of Israel, but also recognizing the Palestinian people’s right to freedom. She has frequently spoken out regarding the humanitarian crisis in the region. A potential Harris administration would further push the United States away from isolationist tendencies, aiming to dominate global markets ahead of competing Chinese interests.
US Vice President Harris meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Jacquelyn Martin – Public Domain)
A Harris Administration
On July 21st, 2024, Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, leaving a vacancy in the Democratic nomination. This opening welcomed Kamala Harris to take the reigns as the primary candidate for the Democrats, receiving full support from President Biden. In the short few months of her campaign, Harris raised over $1.5 billion and sparked a nationwide debate about her fit for the Oval Office.
As previously discussed, Kamala Harris maintains a multitude of stances on policy issues, many of which have yet to be concretely solidified. In part, this can be attributed to Harris’s slow approach to media coverage through interviews and appearances. After focusing much of her time on campaign rallies and spreading the word about her campaign, Harris has finally begun ramping up appearances, such as her recent appearance on the popular television program Saturday Night Live, to increase attention in the final days of the election season. In terms of a future Harris administration, it is assumed that Harris will follow the trends of the Biden administration, adding her personal flare as discussed previously.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it is the choice of the informed voter to decide whether Harris is worthy of leading the United States for the next four years. Despite what a person might politically believe, it is important to vote when election day occurs on November 5th. This ensures the voice of the people is truly heard. One such candidate is Kamala Harris, a Democrat with a background in activism and a history of standing up for what she believes in. As such, whether one decides to vote Republican, Democratic, or somewhere in between, the important message to remember is that the fate of the nation rests on the shoulders of those who vote, determining the future of the nation for generations to come.
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