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Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris made history as the first woman, first Black American, and first person of South Asian descent to serve as U.S. Vice President, and remains one of the most searched political figures on the planet.

By · datastats · Updated June 15, 2026
Kamala Harris

Who Is Kamala Harris?

Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, to an Indian-born mother (biomedical scientist Shyamala Gopalan) and a Jamaican-born father (economist Donald Harris). That dual heritage shaped both her identity and her political brand from day one.

She built her career in law and public office, rising from District Attorney of San Francisco (2004) to Attorney General of California (2011) before winning a U.S. Senate seat in 2016. In 2020, Joe Biden chose her as his running mate, and they won. On January 20, 2021, she was sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States, shattering several glass ceilings at once.

In July 2024, President Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Harris. She quickly secured the Democratic nomination and ran against Republican nominee Donald Trump, ultimately losing the November 2024 general election. It was the second time a major-party ticket she was on faced Trump, and the second time Trump won.

Harris remains a towering figure in Democratic politics, loved fiercely by her base, criticized sharply by opponents, and searched obsessively by everyone in between. Her future in public life is an open and heavily debated question.

People also ask

During her Vice Presidency, Harris's official residence was Number One Observatory Circle, the VP's residence on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. She also owns a home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, which she and her husband purchased. After leaving the Vice Presidency in January 2025, she and her husband have been based primarily at their Los Angeles home.

Kamala Harris is American, born in Oakland, California, making her a natural-born U.S. citizen. Her mother emigrated from India and her father from Jamaica, but Harris herself holds only U.S. nationality. Her dual-heritage background has been a frequent, and often bad-faith, subject of political controversy, but her citizenship has never been in any legal doubt.

Kamala Harris was born on October 20, 1964, making her 60 years old as of 2025. She would turn 61 in October 2025.

Kamala Harris is reported to stand approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall (about 163 cm). This figure circulates widely in media profiles, though she has not made a point of confirming it officially.

Kamala Harris's husband is Douglas Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer. He made history in his own right as the first Second Gentleman of the United States when Harris became VP in 2021, the first man, and first Jewish person, to hold that role.

She is married to Douglas Emhoff. The two wed on August 22, 2014, in a small ceremony in Santa Barbara, California. Emhoff had been previously married, and Harris became stepmother to his two children, Ella and Cole.

Harris has described herself as Baptist, reflecting her upbringing attending a Black Baptist church with her mother. She also has deep cultural ties to Hinduism through her Indian heritage and has participated in Hindu traditions. She is notably married to Douglas Emhoff, who is Jewish, making theirs one of the most interfaith households in American political history.

Harris's net worth is widely estimated to be in the range of several million dollars, with figures commonly cited around $8 million, based on public financial disclosures. Those disclosures, which are required for federal officials, show assets including real estate and investments. Exact net worth figures from non-official sources should be treated as estimates, not confirmed facts.

Her husband's name is Douglas Craig Emhoff, known publicly as Doug Emhoff. Before their marriage, he was a high-profile entertainment and media lawyer, eventually becoming a partner at DLA Piper. He stepped away from his legal career during Harris's Vice Presidency.

Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff married on August 22, 2014. It was Harris's first marriage and Emhoff's second. The ceremony was relatively private, officiated by Harris's sister, Maya Harris.

Harris has not had biological children, and she has not given a detailed public explanation. She has spoken warmly about her role as stepmother to Cole and Ella Emhoff, and even embraced the nickname 'Momala' coined by her stepkids. Speculating on the reasons beyond what she has stated publicly, whether personal choice, circumstance, or anything else, would be putting words in her mouth, which we won't do.

Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential race, announcing the choice on August 6, 2024. Reports indicate she also seriously considered Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly before settling on Walz, whose Midwestern, working-class appeal was seen as a strategic complement to Harris's profile.

Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesota, was Kamala Harris's running mate in the 2024 presidential election. A former high school teacher, football coach, and congressman, Walz was chosen in part for his ability to connect with rural and working-class voters. The Harris-Walz ticket lost to Donald Trump and JD Vance in November 2024.

Kamala Harris was the Vice President, she was not president, so she did not have a VP of her own. She served as the 49th Vice President of the United States under President Joe Biden from January 20, 2021, to January 20, 2025. When she ran for president in 2024, her intended VP pick was Tim Walz.

Same answer: Harris held the VP role herself, serving under President Biden. Her chosen running mate, who would have become VP had they won, was Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. They lost the 2024 election to Donald Trump.

Her father is Donald J. Harris, a Stanford University economics professor emeritus originally from Jamaica. He is a respected academic known for his work on economic growth and development theory. Kamala Harris has spoken publicly about his influence on her intellectual formation, though the two have been reported to have had a complicated relationship over the years, Harris has been guarded about the details.

Kamala Harris does not have a biological daughter. However, her stepdaughter is Ella Emhoff, Douglas Emhoff's daughter from his first marriage. Ella has become a public figure in her own right, a fashion-world name who walked the runway for Miu Miu and has been represented by a major modeling agency.

Ella Emhoff is Kamala Harris's stepdaughter. Born in 2000, Ella is a designer and model who gained significant media attention during the 2021 inauguration when her embellished Miu Miu coat went viral. She has since built a genuine presence in the fashion industry. Harris's stepson is Cole Emhoff.

After leaving the Vice Presidency on January 20, 2025, when Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term, Harris has stepped back from frontline politics, at least for now. She has spoken publicly on select occasions, including a concession speech in which she urged supporters to accept the election result while continuing to fight for democratic values. Her next political move is unconfirmed, but speculation about a future run for California Governor or another office is widespread in Democratic circles.

Harris has been one of Donald Trump's most consistent and pointed critics. During the 2024 campaign, she called him a 'fascist', a notable escalation in Democratic rhetoric, and described him as a threat to democracy, reproductive rights, and the rule of law. She repeatedly highlighted his January 6th role and his criminal convictions. Trump, for his part, gave as good as he got; their exchanges set a new bar for blunt presidential-campaign combat.

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