Electoral history of Kamala Harris facts for kids

Official portrait, 2017

Kamala Harris is a well-known figure in American politics. She served as the 49th Vice President of the United States from 2021 to 2025. She belongs to the Democratic Party, one of the two major political parties in the U.S. Over her career, she has run for public office seven times. Before becoming Vice President, Harris held important roles. She was the 27th district attorney of San Francisco (2004–2011), the 32nd attorney general of California (2011–2017), and a United States senator from California (2017–2021).

In 2003, Harris started her political journey by running for District Attorney of San Francisco. She won this election and later served two terms. In 2010, she was elected as the Attorney General of California, becoming the state's top lawyer. She was reelected in 2014. Harris then became a U.S. Senator for California in 2017.

In 2020, she ran for president but later joined Joe Biden as his running mate. They won the election, making Harris the first female, first African-American, and first Asian-American Vice President. In 2024, she became the Democratic Party's presidential nominee after President Biden withdrew from the race. She ran with Tim Walz as her Vice Presidential nominee. They lost the general election to Donald Trump and JD Vance.

Serving San Francisco: District Attorney Elections (2003–2007)

First Election as District Attorney (2003)

In 2003, Kamala Harris decided to run for District Attorney of San Francisco. This position is like the chief prosecutor for the city. She challenged the person who already held the job, Terence Hallinan. In the first round of voting, no candidate received more than half the votes. So, Harris and Hallinan went to a second round, called a runoff election. Harris won this runoff election by a good margin, receiving 56.5% of the votes.

Reelection as District Attorney (2007)

Harris ran for reelection as District Attorney in 2007. This time, she ran without anyone challenging her. She won the election with just over 98% of the vote. This was the first time in many years that the San Francisco District Attorney ran for reelection without an opponent.

Becoming California's Top Lawyer: Attorney General Elections (2010–2014)

First Election as Attorney General (2010)

In 2010, Harris decided to run for attorney general of California. This role is like the state's chief lawyer and law enforcement officer. She won a challenging primary election against several other candidates, receiving 33.6% of the vote. In the main election, she faced Republican Steve Cooley. The race was very close, and Harris won by a small margin of less than one percent, receiving 46.1% of the votes. She made history by becoming California's first female Attorney General.

County results map of the 2010 California Attorney General election.

Harris:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Cooley:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Reelection as Attorney General (2014)

In 2014, Harris sought a second term as Attorney General. California had changed its election rules. Now, in most elections, the top two candidates from the primary election, regardless of their party, move on to the general election. Harris received 53.2% of the votes in the primary, and Republican Ronald Gold received 12.3%. They then faced each other in the general election. Harris won this election by a significant margin of fifteen percent, receiving 57.5% of the votes.

Map of county results from the 2014 California Attorney General election.

Harris:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Gold:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Representing California in the Senate: Election (2016)

Senate Primary Election (2016)

In 2015, California's Senator Barbara Boxer announced she would not run for reelection. Kamala Harris decided to run for this open seat in the United States Senate. In the primary election, Harris received the most votes (39.9%). Representative Loretta Sanchez came in second (18.9%). Both Harris and Sanchez, who are from the Democratic Party, advanced to the general election.

Senate General Election (2016)

In the general election, Harris and Sanchez participated in a debate at the University of California, Los Angeles. This election was not very close. Harris won against Sanchez by a large margin of 23 percent, receiving 61.6% of the votes. She became a United States Senator for California.

Map of county results from the 2016 California United States Senate election

Harris:      50–60%      60–70%

Sanchez:      50–60%      60–70%

Running for Vice President and President: Elections (2020–2024)

The 2020 Presidential Campaign

Democratic Primary (2020)

In January 2019, Harris announced she was running for president. She was one of many candidates in the Democratic Party's primary elections. On December 3, 2019, she ended her campaign because she didn't have enough funding to continue. Later, on March 8, 2020, Harris supported former Vice President Joe Biden for president.

Vice Presidential Nomination (2020)

During the primary elections, Joe Biden promised to choose a woman as his running mate for Vice President. On August 11, 2020, Biden announced that he had chosen Kamala Harris. She became the third woman in history to be a major party's Vice Presidential nominee. She was also the first person of color to receive this nomination.

General Election (2020)

In the main election, Biden and Harris ran against the Republican team of Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Harris and Pence had a debate on October 7. On Election Day, the Biden-Harris team won the election. They received 306 electoral votes. This victory made Kamala Harris the 49th Vice President of the United States. She was the first woman, first African-American, and first Asian-American to hold this high office.

Electoral college map of the 2020 election

The 2024 Presidential Campaign

Presidential Nomination (2024)

On April 25, 2023, President Biden announced he and Harris would seek a second term. Biden won the Democratic primary elections with little opposition. However, after a debate in 2024, President Biden decided to withdraw from the race on July 21, 2024. He immediately endorsed Harris to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. Harris then became the party's presumptive nominee in early August. She chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Harris and Walz were officially nominated at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

General Election (2024)

In the general election, Harris and Walz ran against the Republican team of Donald Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance. They participated in a debate on September 10, 2024. On Election Day, Harris and Walz lost the election to Trump and Vance. Trump and Vance received 312 electoral votes, while Harris and Walz received 226 electoral votes.

Electoral college map of the 2024 election