As an East Bay native with her eyes on the 2020 presidency, Kamala Harris has already won the hearts of many. Harris has had an ambitious career with a foundation in law. She has served as the Deputy District Attorney of Alameda County, District Attorney of San Francisco, and the Attorney General of California. She currently holds office as a US senator. As a woman of color and the daughter of immigrants, if she were to win, she would break many glass ceilings, helping push America one step closer to having its politicians reflect citizens across all rungs of the political ladder.
Her straightforward approach could be beneficial to the country in this era of political smoke screens. That being said, Harris’s career as a prosecutor is far from perfect, and some of her mistakes must be examined and addressed if she is declared the Democratic nominee.
Kamala Harris’s campaign, as one adviser put it, is “not going to be hope and change. It’s going to be truth and justice.” Harris’s prosecutorial background is something strongly needed right now in Washington. This experience, along with her history of fighting for the people, places her in the position to be a welcome change to today’s political climate. Harris could bring a level of transparency to the White House that would help restore a sense of order in American politics.
Additionally, Harris is in the position to break down even more barriers than she already has: she was the first woman and first African American to be elected as California’s Attorney General.
However, Harris’s career as a prosecutor has been flawed. She has a history of attempting to justify wrongful convictions by supporting them with technicalities, rather than apologizing to the falsely accused. In addition, she has a pattern of siding with the law over progressivism, until the court of public opinion forces her to switch sides. An example of this is her stance on the legalization of marijuana. According to The New York Times, in 2014, she “laughed … when a reporter asked if she would support the legalization of marijuana.” Now, Harris supports its legalization. It is fine for a former lawyer to be on the side of the law, but it raises the question of whether she will keep her stances on other issues.
Overall, Harris has the potential to use her background in law to restore a sense of order and justice in politics. However, it is important that Harris acknowledges past wrongdoings to reassure the public she won’t make them again. Aside from this, Harris is a candidate that could use her experience to enact meaningful laws that help the American people, all the while presiding with the truth.