Kamala Harris Announces: ‘I Am Running for President’

Democratic Senator Kamala Harris from California was a guest on the ABC television show Good Morning America today and made a huge announcement which surprised nobody: “I am running for President of the United States” she told host George Stephanopoulos.

“BREAKING: @KamalaHarris announces this morning on @GMA that she will officially be running for president in 2020. “I’m very excited about it.”

The former attorney general of California will join several other Democrats who have already announced they are seeking the presidency in 2020. Many more within her party are expected to announce their candidacies also in coming weeks.

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Harris’ announcement comes following many months of speculation about her joining the race. She is considered a rising star in the party and is known for seriousness and also her excellent political skills.

In making her announcement, Harris said:

“I love my country. I love my country. This is a moment in time when I feel a sense of responsibility to stand up and fight.”

If she wins Harris would be the first woman and woman of color to be elected to the nation’s highest office.

Just two weeks ago, Harris, 54, said she was not yet ready to make an announcement about a possible campaign. Since then three other Democratic contenders have declared their candidacies or interest in running, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., had earlier announced that she was forming a presidential exploratory committee.

Harris had gone on a book tour and media blitz earlier this month after the release of her memoir. In her book she said that she was empowered at a young age with the disposition to take personal responsibility to address the hardships she encountered.

“I was raised that, when you see a problem, you don’t complain about it, you go and do something about it,” she wrote.

Harris also released a video Monday morning explaining why she is launching her campaign. In it she says she values “truth, justice, decency, equality, freedom [and] democracy,” which she says are “all on the line now.”

“The future of our country depends on you and millions of others lifting our voices to fight for our American values. That’s why I’m running for president of the United States,” Harris says in the video. “I’m running to lift those voices. To bring our voices together.”

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.