Kamala Harris has risen to the highest ranks of American politics and is one of the most recognizable faces on our television screens.
But how much do you really know about the Vice President of the United States?
Whether you’re curious about what she eats for breakfast or how she became one of the world’s most influential women, we’ve got plenty of interesting facts about Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris was born 60 years ago on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. Her full name is Kamala Devi Harris.
She is of mixed heritage. Her mother, Shyamala Gopala, was from India, and her father, Donald J. Harris, was born in Jamaica.
Her name is influenced by her Indian roots. Kamala means “lotus” in Sanskrit. It is associated with Sri-Lakshmi, a goddess who is worshiped by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains.
Her parents divorced when she was five years old. Kamala and her younger sister, Maya, were raised by their mother.
Kamala Harris was exposed to political issues from a very young age. Her parents even took her to civil rights marches in a stroller when she was a baby!
Her involvement in politics was inspired by her mother, a civil rights activist and breast cancer scientist who had moved from India to the United States.
Kamala Harris had a mixed religious background, attending Hindu temples and Christian churches. As an adult, she is a Baptist Christian, following in her father’s footsteps.
When she was a child, Kamala Harris played games like Miss Mary Mack and Cat’s Cradle with her friends on the bus to school. They also sang Jackson 5 tunes to pass the time.
Young Kamala Harris traveled to India with her mother and stayed connected to her Indian heritage. However, she was most heavily influenced by the Black culture of her home city in Oakland, California.
On her visits to India, she regularly saw her grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, a retired public servant who was another inspiration in Kamala Harris’ political journey. One of their pastimes was walking together on the beach in Chennai.
When Kamala Harris was 12 years old, she moved to Montreal and attended school there for five years. She and her sister Maya relocated to the Canadian city with their mother, who had accepted a job as a teacher at McGill University.
In her 2019 memoir, Kamala Harris wrote that the thought of moving from sunny California to snowy Montreal was “distressing” for her as a teenager.
Even at a young age, Kamala Harris was influencing people around her. When the owner of their home in Montreal didn’t want children playing on the lawn, Kamala organized a protest to overturn the decision.
At school, Kamala Harris took drama classes. She also took lessons in violin, French horn, and kettle drum.
Although she has a diverse heritage and background, she has previously described herself simply as “American.”
She studied political science and economics at Howard University, where she ran her first race for elected office. She became a student council representative and president of the Abram Harris Economics Society.
Kamala Harris was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at Howard University. In 2021, she posted on Instagram to celebrate the 113th Founders’ Day of the sorority.
She graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1989 with a law degree.
Kamala Harris has said she is just over 5 feet 4 inches tall (around 163 cm).
In 1994, she dated Willie Brown, Speaker of the California Assembly. According to one biography, Willie Brown gave Kamala Harris a BMW and took her on expensive vacations to Paris.
Kamala Harris was elected as the District Attorney of San Francisco in 2004. She was the first woman to hold this role.
In 2010, she was elected as the Attorney General of California, becoming the first Black and South Asian woman to hold this position. She was re-elected in 2014.
Kamala Harris married lawyer Douglas Emhoff in 2014 after they met on a blind date in 2013. They celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in August 2024.
Kamala Harris is a stepmom to Ella and Cole. The Harris-Emhoff family doesn’t like to call her “stepmom,” though, so they gave her the nickname “Momala” instead. Kamala Harris has even included this name in the bio of her social media profiles.
Kamala Harris entered the United States Senate in 2017 as the representative for California.
In 2017, Kamala Harris’ fame skyrocketed after she questioned Attorney General Jeff Sessions about his communications with Russian contacts. Her questioning as part of this investigation was so persistent that Sessions said it made him nervous to be rushed.
In 2021, Kamala Harris became the first Black American, the first South Asian American, and the first woman to be elected as Vice President of the United States Senate.
She took on presidential powers for 85 minutes in November 2021 when President Joe Biden was under anesthesia for a routine colonoscopy.
Kamala Harris made history in 2023 when she set a new record for tie-breaking votes in the Senate. Upon casting her 32nd tie-breaking vote, she overtook the previous record of 31 by former vice president John C. Calhoun, who held the role between 1825 and 1832.
In August 2024, at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, she officially became the Democrats’ candidate in the 2024 US presidential election.
Kamala Harris is a published author and has written three books, including a children’s book, Superheroes Are Everywhere.
Her 2019 memoir, The Truths We Hold, topped sales charts when she was nominated to run in the 2024 US presidential election. Sales of the book increased by as much as 60,378%!
Kamala Harris met Barack Obama in 2004, and the two Democrats have a long history of supporting each other. Harris backed Obama for president in 2008 and 2012, and he endorsed her for the top job in 2024.
Her most ardent online supporters often call themselves the “KHive.” You might notice the hashtag #KHive on social media posts supporting Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris is often seen wearing comfortable shoes like Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers. In 2018, she revealed she owns a large collection of Chuck Taylors.
In January 2019, Kamala Harris launched a presidential campaign ahead of the 2020 election. There were high hopes for her campaign, but she withdrew from the race in December 2019 due to a lack of funding.
During her 2019 presidential campaign, Kamala Harris shared a video of herself and American actress Mindy Kaling cooking masala dosa.
In 2024, Kamala Harris was featured on the cover of TIME magazine for “pulling off the swiftest vibe shift in modern political history.”
Kamala Harris is a member of the invitation-only club The Links. The exclusive organization, created in 1946, is open to prominent Black women in the United States.
Kamala Harris’ go-to breakfast is Raisin Bran from a typical grocery store and a cup of tea with honey and lemon.
Her morning routine includes a 30-minute workout. Kamala Harris likes to exercise on the elliptical or follow a SoulCycle class.
During her tenure as Vice President of the United States, some polls rated Kamala Harris as one of the least popular Vice Presidents in history.
Kamala Harris’ favorite books include The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
Kamala Harris surpassed another record in 2024 when she launched her presidential campaign. Within the first day, her campaign raised $81 million – the highest amount of donations in a 24-hour period.
She chose Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 US presidential election.
Kamala Harris’ laughter has been praised by her fans but criticized by her political opponents like Donald Trump. Harris says she has her “mother’s laugh.”
She enjoys cooking and sometimes spends hours preparing food. One of Kamala Harris’ family traditions is to make a “really good home-cooked meal” every Sunday.
Kamala Harris is a fan of Marvel superhero movies and has described Black Panther as a “moment of collective celebration.” In 2020, she met with the cast of Avengers and quoted lines from the film series.
Kamala Harris’ official campaign song for her 2024 US presidential campaign was Freedom by Beyoncé. The song includes the lyrics “I’ma keep running,” making a clear connection to the presidential race.
A video of Kamala Harris and her “coconut tree” comments went viral in 2024. Speaking at the White House, Harris jokingly asked, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” making the point that nobody lives in a silo, and everything has context.
Have you learned something new about Kamala Harris?
Growing up in the United States and Canada, her early years were full of change and opportunities.
She has held many political roles and broken records many people have only dreamed of.
But underneath all the politics and diplomacy, Kamala Harris still has her favorite foods, shoes, and books.
Next time you watch her make a big speech, perhaps you’ll see her in a different light!
