Recently, US Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced Senator Kamala Harris—the first Asian-American-Black woman in American history on a major party ticket— as his vice-presidential candidate. He also believes that Senator Harris can be a potential White House successor.
Who is Kamala Harris?
Daughter of immigrants, Kamala Devi Harris is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the junior United States senator from California since 2017. She is the presumptive Democratic nominee for vice president in the 2020 election.
Some key facts about the vice-presidential nominee:
- Harris was the first candidate to declare her intention to run for Boxer’s senate seat.
- Harris became the first senator to demand Secretary Nielsen’s resignation
- Harris became only the second Black female U.S. senator in history when elected in 2016.
- On December 3, 2019, Harris withdrew from seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination, citing a shortage of funds, however, in March 2020; Harris endorsed Joe Biden for president.
- In 2015, Harris’s California Department of Justice was the first statewide agency in the country to require all of its police officers to wear body cameras.
Kamala Harris is not the only Indian-American to establish herself in the country, here is the list of top 5 Federal Elected Officials of Indian-American origin:
Ami Bera
(U.S. Representative for California’s 7th congressional district)
Ami Bera is an American physician and a member of the Democratic Party. Since 2013, he has been the U.S. Representative for California’s 7th congressional district. He was re-elected in 2014, 2016, and 2018.Raja Krishnamoorthi
(U.S. Representative for Illinois’s 8th congressional district)
Raja Krishnamoorthi was elected to succeed Tammy Duckworth. He is a member of the Democratic Party and serves on the House Oversight Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.Ro Khanna
(U.S. Representative for California’s 17th congressional district)
Ro Khanna defeated eight-term incumbent Democratic Representative Mike Honda in the general election on November 8, 2016. He also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the United States Department of Commerce under President Barack Obama from August 8, 2009, to August 2011.Pramila Jayapal
(U.S. Representative for Washington’s 7th congressional district)
Pramila Jayapal is the first Indian-American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district’s first female member of Congress, she is also the first Asian American to represent the State of Washington at the federal level.
Dalip Singh Saund
(First Asian-Indian American member of the U.S. House of Representatives)
Dalip Singh Saund was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served the 29th District of California. He was the first Asian American, the first Indian American and the first member of a non-Abrahamic faith to be elected to the United States Congress.
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