This morning, California Senator Kamala Harris announced that she is running for president.
Harris, 54, is unusual among likely 2020 presidential contenders in that she entered the national spotlight largely after President Donald Trump’s election.
With a high-profile perch on the Senate Judiciary Committee, she earned a following among Democrats for her methodical cross-examinations of the administration’s cabinet and judicial nominees, especially during Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s closely watched confirmation process.
On policy, she has tacked toward the progressive end in the Senate, including signing onto a Medicare For All bill backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Her own legislation includes the LIFT Act, which would create a monthly tax benefit as high as $500 for working families, and a bill with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., that would encourage states to reform their cash bail system.
Harris has also put a heavy emphasis on immigration, including calling on Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to resign after changes to administration policy led authorities to separate children from their parents at the border.
The Democratic field is continuing to grow. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren are among the highest-profile candidates in 2020. (Here’s a list of who is running so far.)
With more than 20 months until the election, and more than a year until the primary, we look at the beginnings of the Democratic efforts to replace President Donald Trump.
GUESTS
Ed O’Keefe, Political correspondent, CBS News; @edokeefe
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Copyright 2019 WAMU 88.5
