“I love my country and this is a moment in time when I feel a sense of responsibility to stand up and fight for the best of who we are.”

Photo of Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris

U.S. senator representing California, since 2017

Kamala (KAH’-mah-lah) Harris has cast herself as a leader who can unify the country and would fight for all Americans. “I love my country and this is a moment in time when I feel a sense of responsibility to stand up and fight for the best of who we are,” she said in announcing her candidacy on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Accomplishments: Previously served as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco, California

Foreign policy: She voted in favor of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria and Afghanistan, and against allowing state and municipal governments to punish companies that boycott, divest from or place sanctions on Israel to protest that country’s treatment of Palestinians.

What sets her apart: If elected, Harris would be the first woman, the first African-American woman and the first person of Asian heritage as president.

Platform: Nearly $3 trillion tax plan to benefit middle- and working-class families, tax credits for low-income renters, a single-payer health care system called “Medicare-for-All”, a reduction in cash bail for inmates charged with criminal offenses.