Feb. 9, 2015

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - California Attorney General Kamala Harris yesterday announced that she is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barbara Boxer.

Boxer, a Democrat, announced last week that she will not seek re-election in 2016. She has been a member of the U.S. Senate since 1993. 

If Harris wins the 2016 election, she would be only the second Black woman to serve in the U. S. Senate. The first was Illinois Sen. Carol Mosely Braun, who served from 1993-1999. A total of nine Blacks have served in the U. S. Senate since 1789, according to Senate.gov.

Harris said on her website, “I ‘m excited to share with you that I’m launching my campaign to represent the people of California in the U.S. Senate. From my first days as a prosecutor in Alameda County, to my work as San Francisco District Attorney, to my current service as California Attorney General, I have worked to bring smart, innovative and effective approaches to fighting crime, fighting for consumers and fighting for equal rights.”Voters elected her attorney general in 2011.

The 50-year-old Harris was born Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, Calif. She is a graduate of Howard University and she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She also graduated from University of California Hastings College of Law.

Kamala Devi Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican-American father and a Tamilian mother. Her father, Donald Harris, is professor emeritus in the Department of Economics at Stanford University.  Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, MD, was a world-renown scientist and physician who specialized in breast cancer research and treatment. She died in 2009.

President Barack Obama caused a controversy when he called Harris the “best-looking attorney general in the country.” Some considered the remark sexist, but others argued that it was  a harmless compliment.