Kamala Harris presidential campaign, 2020

From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 50 min

---

2020 Presidential Election Date: November 3, 2020

Presidential candidates Donald Trump Joe Biden Howie Hawkins Jo Jorgensen

Overviews Candidates on the issues • Battleground states • Electoral College • Pivot Counties

Debates September 29 debate • October 7 debate • October 15 debate • October 22 debate • Democratic debates

Primaries Democratic • Republican • Libertarian • Green • Constitution

Presidential election changes in response to the coronavirus pandemic

“	I feel very confident about my ability to listen and to work on behalf of the American public. The American public wants a fighter, and they want someone that is going to fight like heck for them and not fight based on self-interests. I'm prepared to do that.[1]	”
—Kamala Harris (January 2019)[2]

Kamala Harris formally declared her candidacy for president of the United States on January 21, 2019. She suspended her presidential campaign on December 3, 2019.^[3]

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced Harris was his running mate on August 11, 2020. He called her "a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants."^[4][5] Biden and Harris won in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Harris focused her campaign on economic issues, including universal pre-K, debt-free college, a tax cut for working- and middle-class families of up to $500 a month, and Medicare for All.^[6]

Harris was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016. She served as the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 and district attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.

Vice presidential nomination[edit]

See also: Vice presidential candidates, 2020

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced Harris was his running mate on August 11, 2020. Harris was the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to appear on a major party's presidential ticket in the United States.^[7]

Harris participated in the vice presidential debate on October 7, 2020, with incumbent Vice President Mike Pence (R) in Salt Lake City, Utah. Harris and Pence discussed the coronavirus pandemic, economy, climate change, China, foreign policy, abortion, healthcare, race, and the election.

Biden and Harris won in the general election, receiving more than 81 million votes—approximately 51% of the national popular vote—and 306 votes in the Electoral College.

Harris in the news[edit]

See also: Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing and Editorial approach to story selection for the Daily Presidential News Briefing

This section featured five recent news stories about Harris and her presidential campaign. For a complete timeline of Harris' campaign activity, click here.

• December 3, 2019: Harris ended her presidential campaign. She said in a statement, “I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign. And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete.”

• November 29, 2019: The New York Times profiled the state of Harris’s campaign, including the resignation of state operations director Kelly Mehlenbacher. Harris also campaigned in Iowa on Thanksgiving Day.

• November 25, 2019: Harris issued her mental health policy proposal, which includes focusing federal funding on mental health research, authorizing an educational loan forgiveness program for mental health professionals, and increasing the number of treatment beds nationwide.

• November 22, 2019: Rep. Salud Carbajal (Calif.) endorsed Harris, marking her fourth Congressional Hispanic Caucus endorsement.

• November 21, 2019: Del. Stacey Plaskett (V.I.) endorsed Harris. Harris also campaigned in South Carolina November 23 and 24.

Biography[edit]

Harris was born in Oakland, California, in 1964. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science and economics from Howard University in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings, in 1989.^[8][9]

After graduating from law school, Harris joined the office of the Alameda County district attorney, where she worked for eight years as a prosecutor. In 1998, Harris was hired as managing attorney for the San Francisco District Attorney's Career Criminal Unit. She transferred to head the Division on Families and Children in 2000. In 2003, Harris was elected San Francisco District Attorney. She won re-election in 2007.^[10]

In 2010, Harris defeated Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (R) to win election as state attorney general, receiving 46% of the vote to Cooley's 45%. She won re-election in 2014 over attorney Ronald Gold (R) with 56% of the vote. In 2016, Harris defeated Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D) to win election to the U.S. Senate seat held by Barbara Boxer (D). She received 62% of the vote to Sanchez's 38%.

In 2009, Harris authored Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer, where she discussed potential changes to the criminal justice system. She wrote The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, a memoir, and Superheroes Are Everywhere, a picture book, in 2018.^[11]

Campaign staff[edit]

See also: Kamala Harris presidential campaign staff, 2020, Presidential election key staffers, 2020, and Presidential campaign managers, 2020

The table below shows a sampling of the candidate's 2020 national campaign staff members, including the campaign manager and some senior advisors, political directors, communication directors, and field directors. It also includes each staff member's position in the campaign, previous work experience, and Twitter handle, where available.^[12] For a larger list of national campaign staff, visit Democracy in Action.

Kamala Harris presidential campaign national staff, 2020
Staff	Position	Prior experience	Twitter handle
Juan Rodriguez	Campaign manager	Partner, SCRB Strategies	@lajrod
Averell Smith	Senior advisor	Partner, SCRB Strategies	N/A
Sean Clegg	Senior advisor	Partner, SCRB Strategies	@SeanClegg
Laphonza Butler	Senior advisor	Partner, SCRB Strategies	@LaphonzaB
David Huynh	Senior advisor	Counsel and director of delegate operations and ballot access, Hillary Clinton for President of the United States, 2016	@KeepHuynhing
Nathan Barankin	Senior advisor	Chief of staff, office of Sen. Kamala Harris	@nathanbarankin
Emmy Ruiz	Senior advisor	Colorado director, Hillary Clinton for President of the United States, 2016	@emmyruiz
Missayr Boker	Co-political director	Campaign director, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee	N/A
Julie Chávez Rodríguez	Co-political director	California state director, office of Sen. Kamala Harris	N/A
Lily Adams	Communications director	Communications director, office of Sen. Kamala Harris	@adamslily
Ian Sams	National press secretary	Communications director, Tim Kaine for United States Senate, 2018	@IanSams
Angelique Cannon	National finance director	Deputy national finance director, Hillary Clinton for President of the United States, 2016	@cannonangelique

Campaign finance[edit]

The following chart shows Democratic presidential campaign fundraising, including both total receipts and contributions from individuals, as well as campaign spending. Figures for each candidate run through the end of June 2020 or through the final reporting period during which the candidate was actively campaigning for president. The total disbursements column includes operating expenditures, transfers to other committees, refunds, loan repayments, and other disbursements.^[13]

Satellite spending[edit]

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[14][15][16]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Democratic presidential primary debates, 2019-2020[edit]

See also: Democratic presidential nomination, 2020

The following table provides an overview of the date, location, host, and number of participants in each scheduled 2020 Democratic presidential primary debate.

2020 Democratic presidential primary debates
Debate	Date	Location	Host	Number of participants
First Democratic primary debate	June 26-27, 2019	Miami, Florida	NBC News, MSNBC, and Telemundo	20 candidates
Second Democratic primary debate	July 30-31, 2019	Detroit, Michigan	CNN	20 candidates
Third Democratic primary debate	September 12, 2019	Houston, Texas	ABC News and Univision	10 candidates
Fourth Democratic primary debate	October 15, 2019	Westerville, Ohio	CNN and The New York Times	12 candidates
Fifth Democratic primary debate	November 20, 2019	Georgia	MSNBC and The Washington Post	10 candidates
Sixth Democratic primary debate	December 19, 2019	Los Angeles, California	PBS NewsHour and Politico	7 candidates
Seventh Democratic primary debate	January 14, 2020	Des Moines, Iowa	CNN and The Des Moines Register	6 candidates
Eighth Democratic primary debate	February 7, 2020	Manchester, New Hampshire	ABC, WMUR-TV, and Apple News	7 candidates
Ninth Democratic primary debate	February 19, 2020	Las Vegas, Nevada	NBC News and MSNBC	6 candidates
Tenth Democratic primary debate	February 25, 2020	Charleston, South Carolina	CBS News and Congressional Black Caucus Institute	7 candidates
Eleventh Democratic primary debate	March 15, 2020	Washington, D.C.	CNN, Univision, and CHC Bold	2 candidates

Debate participation[edit]

Harris participated in five Democratic presidential primary debates.

In her final debate on November 20, 2019, Harris discussed impeachment, the Obama coalition, paid family leave, foreign policy, and black voter outreach. Harris said Donald Trump was engaged in a criminal enterprise and that justice for all was on the ballot. Harris questioned Tulsi Gabbard for criticizing the Democratic Party. Harris said the Democratic nominee needed to be able to rebuild the Obama coalition of voters. Harris said she supported six months of paid family leave to reflect the reality of women’s lives, including childcare, eldercare, and pay inequity. Harris called Trump the greatest national security threat and criticized his foreign policy on climate change, Iran, and the Koreas. Harris said black voters, particularly black women, were being taken for granted. She said black maternal mortality rates, gun violence, and pay inequity needed to be addressed.

Harris was the sixth-most active participant in the debate, speaking for 11.5 minutes.

Campaign ads[edit]

Support[edit]

This section shows a sampling of advertisements released to support or oppose this candidate in the 2020 presidential election.

"Me, Maya, and Mom" - Harris campaign ad, released August 7, 2019

"One Month Ago" - Harris campaign ad, released February 27, 2019

Policy positions[edit]

The following policy positions were compiled from the candidate's official campaign website, editorials, speeches, and interviews.

Immigration

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "As president, Kamala will fight to pass immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million people living in our communities and contributing to our economy. While she wages that fight, she will immediately reinstate DACA and implement DAPA to protect DREAMers and their parents from deportation. She will also restore and expand Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who would face war or catastrophe if forced to return home."

Her website continues, "Kamala also believes we must fundamentally overhaul our immigration enforcement policies and practices—they are cruel and out of control. As president, she’ll close private immigrant detention centers, increase oversight of agencies like Customs and Border Protection, and focus enforcement on increasing public safety, not on tearing apart immigrant families. For Kamala, this is about making America a place that welcomes immigrants searching for a better life. It’s why she’ll reverse President Trump’s Muslim Ban on Day One and fix the family visa backlog. Kamala also will immediately change course on President Trump’s disastrous and cruel border strategy. She understands that for many immigrant families, leaving home and arriving at our Southern border is not a choice. That’s why she will ensure those fleeing persecution have a full and fair opportunity to make their claim, aggressively pursue a foreign policy focused on stabilizing Central America where conditions have forced families to flee, and increase funding for processing centers and child welfare workers. Kamala will focus our border enforcement resources on true public safety threats through investments in technology and ports of entry to address the flow of illegal drugs, illegal weapons and human trafficking." ^[source]

Healthcare

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "Right now, the American health care system costs too much and allows insurance companies to run the show. Kamala believes health care should be a right, not a privilege only for those who can afford it. That’s why she has a plan for Medicare for All that will guarantee coverage for every American, lower health care costs, allow a choice between private and public Medicare plans and force insurance companies to play by our rules."

Her website continues, "Kamala’s plan for Medicare for All expands on the progress made under Obamacare, immediately offers an improved Medicare buy-in, and transitions the country to a Medicare system we are all in so that we can take on insurance and drug companies. Her plan will reduce costs, keep options for public or private Medicare plans, and ensure a smooth transition. Affordable health care also means lowering the cost of prescription drugs by taking on pharmaceutical manufacturers and private insurance companies. That’s what Kamala has done throughout her career. As Attorney General, she won a more than $320 million settlement from insurance companies that defrauded elderly Californians and people with disabilities. As president, Kamala will continue the fight. She’ll prosecute opioid makers profiting from the health crisis they’ve helped cause, allow Medicare to negotiate for cheaper prescription prices, and shut the revolving door between pharmaceutical companies and our government. Kamala also believes health care will never be a universal right unless we fight back against the constant attacks on women’s health care. That’s why, as Attorney General, Kamala led a coalition of 16 states to urge the Supreme Court to protect women’s access to contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and, as Senator, fought back against President Trump’s attempts to repeal the law. As president, Kamala will nominate judges who know Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, protect Planned Parenthood from Republican attempts to defund essential health services, and address racial disparities in maternal health care. Reproductive rights are protected by the Constitution and Kamala will keep fighting until those rights are protected and guaranteed in every state." ^[source]

Energy and environmental issues

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "My plan — a Climate Plan For the People — is about putting people first, justice for communities that have been harmed and accountability for those responsible. My plan sets out a bold target to exceed the Paris Agreement climate goals and achieve a clean economy by 2045, investing $10 trillion in public and private funding to meet the initial 10-year mobilization necessary to stave off the worst climate impacts. It modernizes our transportation, energy, and water infrastructure. It accelerates the spread of electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines. And it makes big investments in battery storage, climate-smart agriculture, advanced manufacturing, and the innovative technologies that will build our carbon-free future. By 2030, we will run on 100 percent carbon-neutral electricity, all new buses, heavy-duty vehicles, and vehicle fleets will be zero-emission. All new buildings will be carbon-neutral. We will protect 30 percent of our lands and oceans. We will transition our public lands from producing the fossil fuels that represent 24 percent of national emissions to carbon sinks. And to power this transformation to a clean economy, we will empower the American workforce and create millions of good jobs." ^[source]

Trade

Kamala Harris opposes NAFTA and the Trump administration's tariffs policy.

She said in a CNN interview, "I would not have voted for NAFTA, and because I believe that we can do a better job to protect American workers." At the California Democratic Party annual convention, Harris said that the Trump administration's tariffs were a "trade tax." She continued, "I like to call it Trump’s trade tax. And his trade tax is taking $1.4 billion out of working people’s pockets every month." ^[source]

Economy

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "In America today, the cost of living is going up, paychecks aren’t keeping up, and the rules keep being written to benefit big corporations and the top 1%. When the bankers who crashed our economy get bonuses but the workers who brought our country back are barely getting by, it’s clear: Our economy isn’t working for working people. Kamala believes we need to fight for working families — to increase paychecks, decrease the cost of living and combat sexism, racism, and corporate favoritism in our economy to ensure every American gets a fair shot."

Harris' campaign website continues, "That’s why Kamala’s first priority as president will be to give working and middle class families an overdue income boost. Under her plan, she’ll reverse President Trump’s trillion-dollar tax cut for big corporations and the top 1% and use that money to give a tax credit of up to $6,000 to working families each year. That’s just the start. To raise wages, Kamala will fight to empower unions, make a $15 minimum wage the national floor, and create stricter penalties for companies that cheat their workers. While Kamala fights for fair wages, she’ll work to constrain the rising costs that keep Americans up at night. She’ll pass her Rent Relief Act to provide a tax credit for people spending 30 percent or more of their income on rent and utilities. She’ll increase the federal government’s investment in child care to ensure working families don’t pay more than 7 percent of their income on care. And she’ll crack down on pharmaceutical companies that price-gouge while empowering the government to negotiate down the price of prescription drugs. As president, she’ll mandate equal pay for women, promote policies that build wealth in communities of color, and crack down on corporations that exploit vulnerable Americans for profit." ^[source]

Education

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "The teacher pay gap is a national failure that demands a bold, national response. Kamala will make the largest federal investment in teacher pay in U.S. history to fully close the teacher pay gap during her first term. Her plan will provide the average public school teacher a $13,500 raise."

Her website continues, "Paying teachers for the full value of their work isn’t just a good strategy to improve education: it’s central to building an economy that works for working people. Research shows that attracting and retaining more great teachers improves student performance, increases graduation rates, and leads to higher future earnings for our kids. When President Lyndon B. Johnson made a major investment in education in 1965, he told the country that it was to “bridge the gap between helplessness and hope.” Fifty-four years later, this gap remains — but Kamala is determined to keep building that bridge as president." ^[source]

Gun regulation

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "If Congress fails to send comprehensive gun safety legislation to Harris’ desk within her first 100 days as president – including universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, and the repeal of the NRA’s corporate gun manufacturer and dealer immunity bill – she will take executive action to keep our kids and communities safe."

Her website includes the following policy proposals: "Mandate near-universal background checks by requiring anyone who sells five or more guns per year to run a background check on all gun sales. Revoke the licenses of gun manufacturers and dealers that break the law and take the most egregious offenders to court—regardless of whether they’re protected by the Protection of Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). Reverse President Trump’s dangerous change to the definition of “fugitive from justice,” which has allowed thousands of fugitives with outstanding arrest warrants to buy guns. Close the “boyfriend loophole” to prevent dating partners convicted of domestic violence from purchasing guns. Ban AR-15-style assault weapons from being imported into the United States. In addition to enacting universal background checks, renewing the assault weapons ban, and repealing the PLCAA, Harris will fight to make gun trafficking a federal crime, ban high capacity magazines, and prohibit those convicted of a federal hate crime from buying guns." ^[source]

Criminal justice

Kamala Harris’ campaign website says, “As president, there are four main levers that Kamala can exercise to change criminal justice policy. She can: (1) work with Congress and use her executive authority to change law and policy on the federal level; (2) investigate state and local actors through the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; (3) empower and incentivize behavior on the state and local level through federal funding; and (4) use her voice as president to advocate for change. And as president, Kamala will exercise every one of these levers to increase public safety, reduce our outsized criminal justice system, and make it fairer and more equitable for all.”

Her website lists the following guiding principles: “(1) End Mass Incarceration and Invest Resources into Evidence and Community-Based Programs that Reduce Crime and Help Build Safe and Healthy Communities (2) Law Enforcement’s Primary Mission is to Serve and Protect Communities. It Should Instill Trust and Be Accountable to the Communities It Serves (3) The System Must Treat Individuals Equitably and Humanely (4) The System Must Protect Vulnerable People.” ^[source]

Foreign policy

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "Kamala believes that requires American leadership and a president who holds true to our values at home and abroad. That means America must fight alongside friends and allies – not alone. During his time in the White House, President Trump has undermined the partnerships and institutions we’ve spent decades building in every corner of the world. Kamala believes America is stronger when we invest in our critical relationships and alliances – from NATO, to key partners like Japan, India, Mexico, and Korea. Whether it’s the nuclear threat of North Korea and Iran, chaos and oppression in Venezuela, or confronting China’s unfair trade practices, the U.S. is most effective at confronting global challenges when we work in lockstep with our partners."

Her website continues, "As president, Kamala will invest in new technology to fortify America’s critical infrastructure, including by passing her Secure Elections Act to protect against foreign interference in our democracy. She’ll immediately re-enter the Paris Agreement and make climate cooperation a key diplomatic priority for the United States. And she’ll confront white supremacy by re-establishing the Domestic Terror Intelligence Unit and reversing President Trump’s cuts to programs designed to combat white nationalism. As president, she’ll end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and protracted military engagements in places like Syria. But she’ll do so responsibly – by consulting our Generals and Ambassadors, not via tweet. She’ll reinvigorate our diplomatic corps and State Department. She’ll continue her unshakable support for Israel and work towards a two-State solution so that Palestinians and Israelis can govern themselves in security, dignity, and peace. She’ll stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but without isolating the United States diplomatically and risking an unnecessary war. Most importantly, unlike President Trump, Kamala will prioritize the needs of America’s servicemembers, military families, and veterans, just as they’ve prioritized the needs of our nation. That means defending the Department of Veterans Affairs against corporate privatization attempts, expanding our investment in veterans health care, and reversing President Trump’s illegal and immoral ban on transgender service members." ^[source]

Impeachment

Kamala Harris tweeted, "I’ve literally been carrying around a list of Donald Trump’s impeachable offenses. It’s long. Congress should stand up for the integrity of our democracy in this process and hold Donald Trump accountable." ^[source]

Other policy positions[edit]

Click on any of the following links to read more policy positions from the 2020 presidential candidates.

Campaign themes[edit]

The following campaign themes and issues were published on Harris' presidential campaign website:^[17]

Harris participated in an interview series with The New York Times that asked 21 Democratic candidates the same series of 18 questions. To view Harris's responses, click here.

Archive of Political Emails[edit]

The Archive of Political Emails was founded in July 2019 to compile political fundraising and advocacy emails sent by candidates, elected officials, PACs, nonprofits, NGOs, and other political actors.^[18] The archive includes screenshots and searchable text from emails sent by 2020 presidential candidates. To review the Harris campaign's emails, click here.

Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing[edit]

See also: Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing

The following section provided a timeline of Harris' campaign activity beginning in January 2019. The entries, which come from Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing, are sorted by month in reverse chronological order.

2019[edit]

• December 2019 (click to collapse)

  December[edit]

  • December 3, 2019: Harris ended her presidential campaign. She said in a statement, “I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign. And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete.”

• November 2019 (click to expand)

  November[edit]

  • November 29, 2019: The New York Times profiled the state of Harris’s campaign, including the resignation of state operations director Kelly Mehlenbacher. Harris also campaigned in Iowa on Thanksgiving Day.

  • November 25, 2019: Harris issued her mental health policy proposal, which includes focusing federal funding on mental health research, authorizing an educational loan forgiveness program for mental health professionals, and increasing the number of treatment beds nationwide.

  • November 22, 2019: Rep. Salud Carbajal (Calif.) endorsed Harris, marking her fourth Congressional Hispanic Caucus endorsement.

  • November 21, 2019: Del. Stacey Plaskett (V.I.) endorsed Harris. Harris also campaigned in South Carolina November 23 and 24.

  • November 16, 2019: The United Farm Workers, which represents 10,000 agricultural workers on the West Coast, endorsed Harris.

  • November 16, 2019: Eight candidates, including Harris, participated in the Real América Presidential Forum hosted by the Democratic Party of California and Univision. The event took place as part of the state party's endorsing convention that weekend.

  • November 15-16, 2019: Harris attended events in Long Beach, California, including the Equality CA LGBTQ Reception.

  • November 13, 2019: Ten candidates, including Harris, qualified for the fifth Democratic primary debate. The debate took place on November 20, 2019, at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Also that day, CNBC reported that the Harris campaign planned to boost its digital outreach in Iowa.

  • November 11, 2019: Harris campaigned in South Carolina, holding an event with veterans.

  • November 8-9, 2019: Harris attended a town hall in Las Vegas and toured the Veterans Village in Nevada.

  • November 7, 2019: Harris filed for the New Hampshire primary in Concord.

  • November 6-7, 2019: Harris campaigned in New Hampshire.

  • November 3, 2019: Harris reached 4 percent support in a national poll, earning her fourth and final poll necessary to qualify for the December debate.

  • October 30 - November 2, 2019: Harris campaigned in Iowa.

• October 2019 (click to expand)

  October[edit]

  • October 30, 2019: Harris is restructuring her campaign, sending more staffers to Iowa and reducing staff at her Maryland headquarters. Her campaign manager, Juan Rodriguez, is also reducing his salary. Harris is planning to launch a seven-figure ad campaign before the Iowa caucuses.

  • October 27, 2019: In an interview on Axios on HBO, Harris discussed her electability, healthcare policy, and her prosecutorial record.

  • October 23, 2019: Harris filed a FOIA request for Trump administration documents related to Ukraine with Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse.

  • October 22, 2019: Harris hosted four campaign events in Iowa.

  • October 21, 2019: Harris issued her Native American platform, which included taking 500,000 acres of federal land into trust for federally recognized tribes.

  • October 21, 2019: Harris attended a house party and town hall in Iowa.

  • October 16, 2019: Harris arrived in Iowa for the third time in October, with scheduled stops in Dubuque, Tipton, Davenport, and Clinton through October 18.

  • October 10, 2019: Harris announced a set of policy proposals ahead of CNN's LGBT town hall, including establishing the office of Chief Advocate for LGBTQ+ Affairs.

  • October 10, 2019: Harris appeared at The Abbey, a gay bar in West Hollywood, the night before the LGBTQ forum in Los Angeles.

  • October 7, 2019: Harris released her Children's Agenda, which includes proposals for up to six months of paid family and medical leave, more nurses and social workers at schools, and criminal justice reforms.

  • October 7, 2019: Harris campaigned in Des Moines, Ames, and Ankeny, attending a story time event at an elementary school and a town hall.

  • October 6, 2019: Harris held a town hall at Iowa State University.

  • October 2, 2019: Reuters reported that Harris posted more than 420 Facebook ads on impeachment in the final week of September, representing roughly three-fourths of impeachment-related ads released by 2020 Democrats, according to a Reuters analysis.

  • October 1, 2019: Harris raised $11.6 million in the third quarter of 2019, nearly matching her $11.8 million total in the second quarter.

• September 2019 (click to expand)

  September[edit]

  • September 30, 2019: Politico reported that Harris was restructuring her campaign, promoting her Senate Chief of Staff Rohini Kosoglu and senior adviser Laphonza Butler to senior management positions. She is also expanding her Iowa team from 65 to 120 staff members.

  • September 29, 2019: Harris opened a campaign office in her hometown of Oakland, California.

  • September 27-28, 2019: Harris campaigned in Seattle and San Francisco.

  • September 24, 2019: Harris appeared on MSNBC’s The Last Word.

  • September 23, 2019: Harris attended a grassroots fundraiser in Los Angeles.

  • September 21, 2019: Harris spoke at the Charleston NAACP’s 102nd annual Freedom Fund Banquet in South Carolina.

  • September 20-21, 2019: Harris campaigned in Iowa.

  • September 18, 2019: Politico reported that Harris planned to increase her presence in Iowa. The effort will include weekly visits to the state and doubling her ground operation, which currently has 65 staff members.

  • September 17, 2019: Harris sent a letter to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee requesting they launch an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett Kavanaugh or form a task force to do so.

  • September 16, 2019: Harris appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

  • September 14, 2019: Harris attended a fundraiser in Connecticut.

  • September 12, 2019: Harris participated in the third Democratic primary debate in Houston. ABC News and Univision broadcast the debate and Linsey Davis, David Muir, Jorge Ramos, and George Stephanopoulos moderated. The candidates discussed Medicare for All, criminal justice, international trade agreements, gun violence, military strategy in Afghanistan, education, and climate change. To read debate highlights for Harris, click here.

  • September 9, 2019: Harris and seven other candidates participated in a political ad on gun violence produced by an advocacy organization founded by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Giffords' Courage to Fight Gun Violence. The ad was part of a six-figure digital buy. Also that day, Harris released her criminal justice platform, which would end federal mandatory minimum sentences, the death penalty, and solitary confinement. It would also phase out for-profit prisons and cash bail. Harris discussed the plan in an interview on MSNBC.

  • September 7, 2019: Harris spoke at the Democratic Party of New Hampshire's annual convention along with 18 other candidates.

  • September 6, 2019: Harris campaigned in New Hampshire.

  • September 4, 2019: Harris released her $10 trillion climate plan, which includes promoting environmental justice, ending subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, implementing a progressive fee on carbon pollution, and creating a clean energy economy by 2045.

• August 2019 (click to expand)

  August[edit]

  • August 30, 2019: Harris published a piece in The Denver Post titled, "Colorado teachers’ pay is unacceptably low. Here’s how I’ll fix it," in which she proposed increasing teacher pay with a mix of federal and state funding and recruiting diverse teachers.

  • August 29, 2019: Harris issued a disability policy plan, covering Medicare for All, long-term and in-home services, and senior-level White House positions for individuals with disabilities.

  • August 28, 2019: Harris posted a digital ad about her Iowa bus tour as part of a six-figure advertising campaign in the state.

  • August 24, 2019: Harris spoke at the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People banquet in North Carolina.

  • August 20, 2019: The Harris campaign said that Harris would appoint a Federal Communications Commission Chair who supports net neutrality.

  • August 16-18, 2019: Harris attended events and fundraisers in Martha’s Vineyard and the Hamptons.

  • August 16, 2019: Politico reported that Harris would launch a Spanish-language version of Camp Kamala, her volunteer training program that covers caucuses, watch parties, and voter outreach.

  • August 15, 2019: Marcia Fudge endorsed Harris, marking her tenth endorsement from a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

  • August 14, 2019: Harris unveiled her plan to combat domestic terrorism, which included red flag measures called “Domestic Terrorism Prevention Orders” and background check requirements for websites that sell firearms.

  • August 12, 2019: Harris made the final stop of her five-day bus tour of Iowa.

  • August 10, 2019: Harris discussed the existence of racism in the United States, before and after the Trump administration.

  • August 7, 2019: Harris made her first 2020 ad buy, spending $145,000 on an ad introducing herself to voters.

  • August 7, 2019: Politico compared the size, location, and preparation of Harris’ and Warren’s field operations in Nevada and other campaigns.

  • August 6, 2019: WMUR9 reported that Harris’ campaign opened four New Hampshire offices in Manchester, Nashua, Keene, and Portsmouth to serve as organizing hubs for her run.

  • August 5, 2019: Harris, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, and Bernie Sanders spoke on Latino issues at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in San Diego.

  • August 3, 2019: The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees held a public service forum in Las Vegas, Nevada. Harris participated. Also on August 3-4, the 2020 Democratic candidates responded to the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, in formal statements, interviews, and tweets. Candidates focused on Trump’s rhetoric on immigrants, congressional inaction, and gun violence policies.

  • August 1, 2019: Rep. Brenda Lawrence endorsed Harris, becoming the ninth member of the Congressional Black Caucus to do so.

• July 2019 (click to expand)

  July[edit]

  • July 31, 2019: The second night of the second Democratic presidential primary debate was broadcast from Detroit, Michigan, on CNN. Harris participated. At the debate, Harris discussed her healthcare proposal, which would replace employer-based coverage but allow some people to keep Medicare Advantage. She criticized Joe Biden’s plan, saying it would not hold insurance and pharmaceutical companies responsible for cost issues. She also called Donald Trump’s trade policy a Trump trade tax on goods.

  • July 30, 2019: CNBC reported that California Gov. Gavin Newsom was encouraging past contributors to support Harris’ campaign. He raised $300,000 for Harris at a fundraiser in May and $50 million for his own gubernatorial campaign in 2018.

  • July 29, 2019: Harris released her Medicare for All plan. It would phase in over 10 years and offer a privately managed option like Medicare Advantage. Harris said the program would be funded through a new tax on stock trades.

  • July 26, 2019: Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand spoke at a presidential forum hosted by the National Urban League in Indianapolis, Indiana. During her speech, Harris released a plan to spend $10 billion on laboratories and other infrastructure at historically black colleges and universities and $50 billion in scholarships, internships, and curriculum in STEM fields. Harris also called for spending $12 billion on entrepreneurship programs.

  • July 24, 2019: Harris, nine other Democratic candidates, and Republican candidate Bill Weld spoke at the NAACP’s 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan. Michael Kempner, who helped raise more than $3 million for Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign as a bundler, announced he would host a fundraiser for Harris in August.

  • July 23, 2019: Harris introduced the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act to decriminalize marijuana, expunge past marijuana-related convictions, and bar the deportation of immigrants based on a marijuana charge.

  • July 22, 2019: Harris introduced the Water Justice Act, which would call for $250 billion to be spent on water infrastructure and clean and safe drinking water programs.

  • July 19, 2019: Harris campaigned in California, including attending an event hosted by Electing Women Bay Area.

  • July 18, 2019: Biden, Buttigieg, and Harris received more contributions from Hillary Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s top bundlers than any other Democratic candidates, according to a Politico analysis.

  • July 16, 2019: Harris participated in a candidate forum in Davenport, Iowa, hosted by The Des Moines Register and AARP. Harris released her plan to lower the price of prescription drugs. Under Harris’ proposal, prices would be set by the Department of Health and Human Services. Companies that sell drugs at a higher rate would be taxed on the profits, which would then be turned into rebates for consumers.

  • July 12-15, 2019: Harris campaigned in New Hampshire.

  • July 12, 2019: Harris appeared on The Breakfast Club radio show, where she criticized other presidential candidates for releasing proposals that would be difficult to implement.

  • July 11, 2019: Harris proposed investing $1 billion into states to clear the rape kit backlog nationwide. States would have to meet new standards to receive funding, including providing an annual report on the number of untested kits and testing new kits more quickly.

  • July 10, 2019: Harris and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) introduced a bill that would make it easier for people with criminal records to obtain federal housing assistance. Elizabeth Warren reintroduced the Climate Risk Disclosure Act, which would require companies to disclose information about climate risks like greenhouse gas emissions. Harris cosponsored the bill.

  • July 9, 2019: Harris and 12 other Democratic presidential candidates called on Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta to resign for his involvement in negotiating a plea agreement for Jeffrey Epstein in a 2008 sex trafficking case.

  • July 8, 2019: Harris discussed race and electability in an interview with the Associated Press.

  • July 6-9, 2019: Harris campaigned in Louisiana and South Carolina.

  • July 6, 2019: Harris spoke at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana.

  • July 5, 2019: Harris was among the 10 candidates who spoke at the Strong Public Schools Presidential Forum in Texas. Also that day, the Harris campaign announced that it had raised nearly $12 million in the second quarter of 2019, matching its first quarter fundraising. The campaign said it had raised $2 million the day after the first presidential debate in June.

  • July 1, 2019: Reps. Bobby Bush (D-Ill.) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), two members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), endorsed Harris. This brought her total of CBC endorsements to six, compared to Biden's five. Also, Vogue featured five of the six women running for president, including Harris, in a magazine story about the election.

• June 2019 (click to expand)

  June[edit]

  • June 30, 2019: Harris appeared on MSNBC’s Kasie DC along with three other candidates.

  • June 29, 2019: Several Democratic candidates defended Harris after tweets shared by bot accounts questioned whether she is a black American. Harris reported raising $2 million in the 24 hours following the first Democratic presidential debate.

  • June 27, 2019: At the first Democratic debate, Harris criticized Joe Biden's (D) record on busing and shared she was in the second class to integrate at her public school in California. She also opposed the Obama administration's deportation policy, saying it affected the immigrant community's ability to reach out to law enforcement.

  • June 26, 2019: Harris introduced a bicameral version of the Accountability for Wall Street Executives Act, which would allow state law enforcement oversight of national banks regarding compliance with state law.

  • June 25, 2019: Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) endorsed Harris.

  • June 22, 2019: Harris and 21 other Democratic candidates spoke at the South Carolina Democratic Convention. This was a record-breaking number of presidential candidates speaking at the state party's convention, The Greenville News reported. Harris and 19 other Democratic candidates also attended a forum hosted by Planned Parenthood. Harris also appeared on CBS' Face the Nation, where she criticized Trump's approach to Iran and said the U.S. should re-enter the Iran nuclear deal. She also discussed tensions within the Democratic Party over whether to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump.

  • June 21, 2019: Harris and 21 other Democratic candidates attended Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D) World Famous Fish Fry in Columbia, South Carolina.

  • June 20, 2019: Harris was endorsed by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) and Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), both members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

  • June 19, 2019: Harris was among Democratic candidates who criticized Joe Biden for remarks he made about civility in the Senate during his time in the chamber. Biden said he worked with former Sens. James Eastland (D-Miss.) and Herman Talmadge (D-Ga.), who opposed desegregation efforts and with whom he often disagreed, to get things done. Biden responded, "There's not a racist bone in my body. I've been involved in civil rights my whole career. Period." Also that day, Harris introduced a bill in the Senate called the 21st Century SKILLS Act, which would fund workforce training for eligible Americans at amounts of $4,000 to $8,000 depending on employment status and income level.

  • June 17, 2019: Harris was one of 10 candidates that spoke at the Poor People’s Campaign Presidential Forum in Washington, D.C. U.S. Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) endorsed Harris. In his endorsement, Costa highlighted Harris’ plan for Dreamers as a reason he was supporting her campaign.

  • June 15, 2019: Harris campaigned in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she discussed the criminal justice system.

  • June 14, 2019: Harris joined striking fast food restaurant workers in a Las Vegas, Nevada, march organized by the group Fight for $15.

  • June 13, 2019: The Reckoning Crew, a group of local activists in South Carolina who worked to help Hillary Clinton win the state primary in 2016, endorsed Harris.

  • June 12, 2019: Harris released an immigration plan that would launch an expanded version of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

  • June 11, 2019: Harris joined Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren in a letter to McDonald's criticizing the company for its handling of sexual harassment complaints.

  • June 10, 2019: Harris held a town hall in Dubuque, Iowa.

  • June 9, 2019: Harris and 18 other candidates delivered a five-minute speech at the Democrats Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

  • June 8, 2019: While speaking at an NAACP event in South Carolina, Harris said her career as a prosecutor would be her greatest asset in a general election against Donald Trump.

  • June 6, 2019: Harris' campaign announced that New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno and state Rep. Ted James (D) would serve as her Louisiana campaign co-chairs.

  • June 5, 2019: Harris' campaign said it would expand her Iowa campaign by increasing the staff count to 65 staffers. Her campaign was also developing a program called “Kamala Captains” for precinct-level leaders.

  • June 4, 2019: Harris announced campaign stops in Alabama and South Carolina from June 7 to June 9.

• May 2019 (click to expand)

  May[edit]

  • May 31, 2019: The Democratic Party of California announced that Harris would speak at its convention held May 31 to June 2. Harris also attended the Immigrant Unity and Freedom Presidential Forum in Pasadena, California, along with Julián Castro, Jay Inslee, and Bernie Sanders.

  • May 30, 2019: During a town hall in Greenville, South Carolina, Harris discussed increasing teacher pay, addressing gun violence, and the Mueller statement. Harris said that sex work should be decriminalized.

  • May 29, 2019: Harris proposed making states with anti-abortion legislation face a preclearance requirement, which she said would be similar to the preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

  • May 23, 2019: Harris canceled a trip to Iowa to vote on a disaster aid bill.

  • May 22, 2019: During an interview on Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Harris discussed investigations into Trump and her equal pay policy proposal.

  • May 22, 2019: Harris reintroduced the Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies (CARE) Act. The bill would seek to invest $150 million in programs to address racial bias in maternal care and provide pregnant women and new mothers with integrated health services.

  • May 20, 2019: Harris announced a plan she says will address gender pay equity by requiring corporations to receive an Equal Pay Certification from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Companies that failed to meet this standard would be fined 1% of their profits for every 1% of the remaining wage gap. The corporate fines would then be used to fund paid family and medical leave.

  • May 20, 2019: Harris said she believed fatal police shootings and alleged police brutality incidents should have independent investigations, marking a shift from her previous opposition to taking investigatory discretion from district attorneys.

  • May 16, 2019: While speaking at an event for One APIA Nevada, Harris criticized Trump’s new merit-based immigration proposal and discussed her South Asian heritage.

  • May 15, 2019: Harris has declined to participate in a Fox News town hall. She also campaigned in New Hampshire, where she discussed future Supreme Court nominations. Harris said a factor to nominate a judge would be ”whether they are willing to agree with precedent and agree that this is an issue about a woman’s right to privacy.”

  • May 15, 2019: Harris announced that she would ban imports of AR-15 style assault weapons using executive action if elected president.

  • May 13, 2019: The Hill reported that MSNBC would host a town hall with Harris in Spartanburg, California, on May 28.

  • May 12, 2019: In an interview on CNN, Harris said that her version of Medicare for All would apply to any individual in the United States. She also said she would not have voted to support NAFTA and that she was prepared to use executive action if no gun safety bills crossed her desk within the first 100 days of her taking office.

  • May 10, 2019: Harris wrote about her experience as a stepmother in an op-ed for Elle.

  • May 8, 2019: Harris introduced the EQUAL Defense Act Wednesday to use $250 million to create pay parity for public defenders, establish workload limits, and train attorneys.

  • May 7, 2019: Harris launched Camp Kamala, an online program to train young volunteers to be future precinct captains and volunteer leaders. It was first piloted in Iowa.

  • May 6, 2019: Harris discussed electability and who can connect with Midwestern voters while campaigning in Detroit. “But when they say that, they usually put the Midwest in a simplistic box and a narrow narrative, and too often their definition of the Midwest leaves people out,” Harris said. “It leaves out people in this room who helped build cities like Detroit. It leaves out working women who are on their feet all day—many of them working without equal pay.”

  • May 5, 2019: Harris delivered the keynote address at the NAACP’s 64th Annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner in Detroit. She discussed her tax policy, voting rights, gun safety, and criminal justice record.

• April 2019 (click to expand)

  April[edit]

  • April 29, 2019: Harris hired Jim Margolis, who worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, as her media adviser.

  • April 22, 2019: Harris held a Q&A in New Hampshire, where she discussed voting rights for felons who finished their sentences, as well as whether those currently incarcerated should be allowed to vote.

  • April 22, 2019: Harris said during a CNN town hall that she believed Congress should take steps to impeach President Trump, although she also said that she thinks the Senate would not act on any impeachment made by the House.

  • April 21, 2019: Harris spoke at South Carolina State University. The Associated Press noted that it was her fourth visit to a historically black college this year, the most of any presidential candidate.

  • April 19-20, 2019: Harris is hosting town halls in South Carolina.

  • April 17, 2019: Harris said she regretted supporting a truancy law as California attorney general that threatened guardians with prosecution if their children missed too much school. She said no parent went to jail as a result of the law.

  • April 16, 2019: McClatchy DC profiled Harris and her Israel policy and support for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Harris communications director Lily Adams said, “Her support for Israel is central to who she is. She is firm in her belief that Israel has a right to exist and defend itself, including against rocket attacks from Gaza.”

  • April 14, 2019: Harris released 15 years of tax returns, showing she and her husband paid $700,000 in taxes on an adjusted gross joint income of roughly $1.9 million last year.

  • April 12, 2019: Reuters reported that Harris was focusing on California and the South rather than the traditional early states like Iowa. Former South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers endorsed Harris on April 15.

  • April 11, 2019: While campaigning in Iowa, Harris said that she was a gun owner for personal safety. “For too long and still today we are being offered a false choice which suggests you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away,” she said.

  • April 10, 2019: Harris held a town hall at the University of Iowa, where she spoke on gun violence and tax policy, among other issues.

  • April 9, 2019: Harris reintroduced the Rent Relief Act, intending to create refundable tax credits for households whose rent and utilities exceed 30 percent of their income.

  • April 6, 2019: Harris tweeted over the that she would “double the size of the Civil Rights division of the Justice Department because our government must have the resources to defend our voting and civil rights from discriminatory laws.”

  • April 4, 2019: Harris was interviewed on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where she said the Mueller report should be made public.

  • April 3, 2019: While campaigning in Nevada, Harris said she would oppose efforts to renew the licensing process for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

  • April 3, 2019: Harris introduced legislation with Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.) to permit Dreamers to work as staffers or interns in Congress.

  • April 1, 2019: Harris raised $12 million in the first quarter of 2019. The average donation was $55.

• March 2019 (click to expand)

  March[edit]

  • March 28, 2019: Harris announced three endorsements from South Carolina legislators: state Reps. Pat Henegan and JA Moore and state Sen. Darrell Jackson. She named each as a co-chair for her state campaign and also named former gubernatorial candidate Marguerite Willis and Berkeley County Democratic Chairwoman Melissa Watson as co-chairs.

  • March 28, 2019: Susie Tompkins Buell, a Democratic donor who brought in $6 million for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, scheduled a fundraiser for Buttigieg. Buell had previously expressed support for Kamala Harris and was also scheduled to hold a fundraiser for her.

  • March 26, 2019: The Detroit NAACP announced that Harris would give the keynote address at its 64th Annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner on May 5.

  • March 24, 2019: Harris campaigned in Atlanta, speaking at Morehouse College.

  • March 23, 2019: Harris spoke in Houston about her plans to increase teacher pay. She said that teachers earn 10 percent less than other college graduates that her plan would use federal resources to reduce that gap.

  • March 21, 2019: Harris hired Shelby Cole as her digital fundraising director. Cole was Beto O’Rourke’s top digital aide during his 2018 Senate campaign.

  • March 21, 2019: Harris spoke at the Alpha Kappa Alpha 90th Far Western Regional Conference in Los Angeles. Harris joined the sorority while she was a student at Brown University.

  • March 20, 2019: Several Hollywood power players, including showrunner Shonda Rhimes and director J.J. Abrams, hosted a fundraiser for Harris.

  • March 20, 2019: Harris appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live. She highlighted her legal experience, saying that voters will want “someone who has the proven ability to prosecute the case against this administration and this president.”

  • March 19, 2019: Harris campaigned in Tarrant County, Texas, on March 22. Trump won that county in 2016, but Beto O’Rourke carried it during his 2018 Senate campaign.

  • March 14, 2019: Harris introduced the Digital Service Act of 2019, which would allocate $15 million a year for grants to state and local governments to improve the technology they use to serve their constituents.

  • ’’’March 13, 2019’’’: Harris was scheduled to campaign in Texas on Mar. 23 for her first major event in the state since announcing her candidacy.

  • March 13, 2019: Harris brought on two new hires for her South Carolina team: Reggie Abraham as deputy state director and Anne Bailey as state organizing director. Abraham worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.

  • March 9, 2019: Harris made her third presidential visit to South Carolina, including speaking at the Charleston Black Expo.

  • March 6, 2019: The Washington Post reported on an investigation into evidence tampering by a crime lab technician that occurred while Kamala Harris was district attorney of San Francisco.

  • March 5, 2019: Harris is scheduled to campaign in Myrtle Beach as part of a two-day visit to South Carolina beginning Friday.

  • March 1, 2019: Harris campaigned in Nevada for the first time Friday, speaking at a town hall and the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit in Las Vegas.

• February 2019 (click to expand)

  February[edit]

  • February 28, 2019: Politico published a profile of Kamala Harris on the campaign trail with commentary on how she handles policy questions.

  • February 26, 2019: In an interview with The Root, Kamala Harris said she supported the Lift Act, which would provide a tax credit for all families making $100,000 or under. She also said she would be open to the decriminalization of sex work.

  • February 26, 2019: Harris announced a new set of California endorsements Tuesday morning, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Secretary of State Alex Padilla, and State Treasurer Fiona Ma.

  • February 24, 2019: Harris also defined her political identity in an interview Sunday, saying, “I'm a progressive Democrat. I am a Democrat, I'm a proud Democrat. I'm not a socialist."

  • February 23, 2019: Harris commented on the crisis in Venezuela, saying, “The U.S. must immediately condemn Maduro’s violence against his own people. There is no excuse for this. The Venezuelan military and security forces must demonstrate restraint. Venezuelans deserve a free and fair election and a peaceful transition of power.”

  • February 22, 2019: Harris hired Courtni Pugh, a strategist at Hilltop Public Solutions, to lead her California campaign. Pugh also worked on former state Sen. Kevin de León’s unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign last year.

  • February 20, 2019: Harris expanded her campaign staff, bringing on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 state director in Nevada and Colorado, Emmy Ruiz, as a senior adviser. Missayr Boker and Julie Chávez Rodriguez are also joining the campaign as co-national political directors.

  • February 19, 2019: Sen. Kamala Harris finished her first trip to New Hampshire Tuesday, including speaking at the Politics & Eggs breakfast at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

  • February 15, 2019: California Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed Harris.

  • February 14, 2019: Harris was endorsed by Rep. Barbara Lee, a former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

  • February 13, 2019: Harris was scheduled to make her first visit to Nevada as a presidential candidate when she speaks at a town hall meeting in Las Vegas and the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit next month.

  • February 12, 2019: Harris hired Clinton campaign alum Nora Walsh-DeVries to be her Iowa political director. Harris also brought on Zack Davis, who worked on Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns in Iowa, to serve as Iowa senior adviser.

  • February 11, 2019: The New York Times published a profile of Harris examining her record as a prosecutor and how it could affect her presidential campaign.

  • February 8, 2019: Harris hired Jalisa Washington-Price, former chief of staff for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, as a state director in South Carolina.

  • February 7, 2019: Harris was endorsed by 21 of the 28 Democrats in the California State Senate.

  • February 5, 2019: Harris was scheduled to spend two days each in early voting states South Carolina, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Nevada. She also delivered a prebuttal to Trump’s State of the Union.

  • February 4, 2019: Susie Tompkins Buell, a Democratic donor who brought in $6 million for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, announced she is backing Harris.

  • February 2, 2019: Vox published an analysis of Booker’s and Harris’ affordable housing plans. Read more here.

  • February 1, 2019: Harris announced that she would bring Trisha Pesiri-Dybvik, an air traffic controller who was furloughed during the government shutdown, as her guest to the State of the Union.

• January 2019 (click to expand)

  January[edit]

  • January 30, 2019: Reps. Kate Hill and Nanette Barragán endorsed fellow California delegation member Harris. They joined Ted Lieu in being Harris’ first three congressional endorsements.

  • January 30, 2019: Harris was scheduled to attend two major Hollywood fundraisers over the weekend hosted by Universal’s Jeff Shell and The Abbey founder David Cooley.

  • January 29, 2019: CNN said its televised town hall with Harris Monday “was the most watched cable news single candidate election town hall ever.”

  • January 28, 2019: Harris received her first congressional endorsement from Ted Lieu, who represents California’s 33rd Congressional District. She also named Deirdre DeJear as her state campaign chairwoman and Will Dubbs as her state director in Iowa.

  • January 27, 2019: Harris formally kicked off her campaign with a rally in her hometown of Oakland, California. Her campaign announced that it would be headquartered in Baltimore with a second office in Oakland.

See also[edit]

• Democratic presidential nomination, 2020
• Presidential candidates, 2020
• Presidential election endorsements, 2020
• PredictIt markets in the 2020 presidential election
• Presidential candidate campaign travel, 2020
• Democratic presidential primary debates, 2020

Footnotes[edit]

v • e 2020 United States presidential election Overviews 2020 presidential candidates • List of registered 2020 presidential candidates • Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing • Presidential battleground states, 2020 • Presidential debates, 2020 • Presidential candidate campaign travel, 2020 • Presidential election endorsements, 2020 • Presidential election campaign finance, 2020 • Presidential campaign logos and slogans, 2020 • Presidential campaign pageviews on Ballotpedia, 2020 • Presidential voting history by state • Green Party presidential nomination, 2020 • Libertarian Party presidential nomination, 2020 • Constitution Party presidential nomination, 2020 Primaries and election dates Important dates in the 2020 presidential race • Deadline to run for president • Super Tuesday primaries, 2020 • March 10 presidential primaries, 2020 • March 17 presidential primaries, 2020 • June 2 presidential primaries, 2020 • Changes to the presidential election in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic Democratic nomination Democratic presidential nomination, 2020 • Democratic delegate rules, 2020 • Democratic National Convention, 2020 • Joe Biden Democratic debates Democratic presidential primary debates, 2020 • Democratic debate (June 2019) • Democratic debate (July 2019) • Democratic debate (September 2019) • Democratic debate (October 2019) • Democratic debate (November 2019) • Democratic debate (December 2019) • Democratic debate (January 2020) • Democratic debate (February 7, 2020) • Democratic debate (February 19, 2020) • Democratic debate (February 25, 2020) • Democratic debate (March 15, 2020) Republican nomination Republican presidential nomination, 2020 • Republican delegate rules, 2020 • Republican National Convention, 2020 • Donald Trump Issues Abortion Criminal justice • Policing Economy • Social Security • Minimum wage • Paid leave • Taxes • Coronavirus recovery Education • Student loan debt • Charter schools and voucher programs Energy and environmental issues • Climate change • Green New Deal Foreign policy • China • Russia • North Korea • Middle East and North Africa • South and Central America Gun regulation Healthcare • Affordable Care Act • Medicare for All • Prescription drug costs Impeachment Immigration • Border security • DACA and Dreamers • Immigration enforcement Supreme Court vacancy Trade • Tariffs • NAFTA and USMCA

v • e Ballotpedia About Overview • What people are saying • Support Ballotpedia • Contact • Contribute • Job opportunities Executive: Leslie Graves, President • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy Communications: Kayla Harris • Megan Brown • Mary Dunne • Sarah Groat • Lauren Nemerovski External Relations: Alison Prange • Sara Key • Kari Berger • Hannah Nelson Operations: Meghann Olshefski • Lauren Dixon • Kelly Rindfleisch • Sara Horton • Elizabeth Brown Policy: Christopher Nelson • Caitlin Styrsky • Molly Byrne • Katharine Frey • Jace Lington • Jimmy McAllister Tech: Matt Latourelle, Tech Manager • Ryan Burch • Michael Cella • Kirsten Corrao • Margaret Kearney • Tom Reitz Contributors: Scott Rasmussen Editorial Geoff Pallay, Editor-in-Chief • Daniel Anderson, Managing Editor • Josh Altic, Managing Editor • Cory Eucalitto, Managing Editor • Mandy Gillip, Managing Editor • Jerrick Adams • Victoria Antram • Dave Beaudoin • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Ryan Byrne • Kate Carsella • Kelly Coyle • Megan Feeney • Tyler King • Doug Kronaizl • Amee LaTour • David Luchs • Brittony Maag • Andrew McNair • Jackie Mitchell • Elisabeth Moore • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Paul Rader • Ethan Rice • Abbey Smith • Janie Valentine • Caitlin Vanden Boom • Joel Williams • Corinne Wolyniec • Samuel Wonacott • Mercedes Yanora