Because in California and Washington states the primaries that are used to whittle down the number of candidates in the election are common for all parties with the top two irrespective of their parties moving to the general election stage, Harris, Khanna and Jayapal are facing fellow Democrats. Harris was born in Oakland, California, to an Indian mother – who moved to the U.S. from Chennai – and a Jamaican-American father.
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The attorney general was boosted by her close ties to President Obama, the state Democratic Party, labor unions and other key constituencies.
Sanchez was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and serves on the Armed Services and Homeland Security committees.
King, a singer and volunteer host on a Sacramento radio station, said afterward that he previously voted for Harris and contributed to her campaign. Jerry Brown, Boxer and her soon-to-be Senate colleague from California – Dianne Feinstein.
On Tuesday, Harris- who will succeed Barbara Boxer- became the first African-American and Asian-American to represent California in the Senate.
California’s lackluster U.S. Senate contest neared a historic end Monday and voters pondered a long list of ballot questions that could legalize marijuana, end the death penalty and slap cigarette smokers with a $2-a-pack tax increase. She and her sister Maya Harris spent their childhood more with adults who were committed to community service.
Harris’s win may not be significant since in California, as in any other USA state, women are in a majority, but it is significant as Harris is taking a seat in a Senate that remains overwhelmingly white and male. Her election in 2012 made her just the second minority female ever elected, after Illinois Senator Carol Moseley Braun, who was in office between 1993 and 1999. A civil rights activist involved in immigrant and women’s rights causes, she was born in India.
Interestingly, the outgoing US President Barack Obama had endorsed Harris, Krishnamoorthi and Bera. Last night, she began her victory speech by recalling how she used to attend caucuses with her grandfather, serving as his interpreter.
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In September, emails from the California Attorney General’s office indicated that Harris appeared to be teaming up with Planned Parenthood to target Daleiden, too. This was aimed at improving public safety by focusing on combating recidivism. Her progressive platform focused on securing equal pay for equal work, protecting women’s health care, combatting gun violence, and making college more affordable and accessible for all students. She married Los Angeles lawyer Douglas Emhoff two years ago, her first marriage. They got married in 2014.
