Kamala Harris turns 61
Kamala Devi Harris turns 61 today, marking another year in a historic life that has seen her break barriers as the first woman, first Black American, and first Asian American to serve as vice president of the United States. Born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, to immigrant parents—her father, Donald Harris, from Jamaica, and her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, from India—Harris has spent the past year navigating life after her tenure in the Biden administration ended in January 2025.
Post-Vice Presidency
Since leaving office, Harris has remained in the public eye through an international book tour promoting her memoir 107 Days, which details her 2024 presidential campaign. The former vice president and her husband, Doug Emhoff, relocated to Los Angeles, where they assisted in distributing food to victims of the Palisades Fire.
Harris’s post-administration activities have included several notable public appearances and recognitions. In February 2025, she signed with Creative Artists Agency to focus on speaking and publishing opportunities, and days later received the Chairman’s prize at the 56th NAACP Image Awards. She made a surprise appearance at the 2025 Met Gala in May, dressed in half white and black.
“The Republicans are in control of the House, the Senate, and the White House. They bear the responsibility for the shutdown.”
— Kamala Harris
Ongoing Political Engagement
As the government shutdown extends into its second week, Harris has positioned herself as both a party elder and potential future candidate. In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday, she expressed continued communication with Democratic colleagues in Congress, encouraging them to demand that President Trump and the Republican majority address impending increases in Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums.
“Democrats are correctly advocating for working individuals and resisting Republican efforts to impose tax reductions for the wealthiest citizens at the expense of the working population,” Harris stated during her Birmingham, Alabama, book tour stop.
Reflections on the Biden Administration
During her book tour appearances, Harris has offered candid reflections on decisions made during her time as vice president. At the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit on Tuesday, she reiterated her regret over Tesla CEO Elon Musk being excluded from a 2021 White House electric vehicle event.
“I write in the book that I thought it was a big mistake to not invite Elon Musk when we did a big EV event,” Harris said. “I mean, here he is, the major American manufacturer of extraordinary innovation in this space”.
Harris also acknowledged that prioritizing the infrastructure bill and CHIPS Act over immediate needs like affordable childcare and paid family leave was a strategic error. “Very important work, no question, but we did that before putting the immediate needs ahead of anything else,” she explained.
Security and Political Tensions
The past year has brought challenges beyond the political realm. In March 2025, President Trump revoked Harris’s security clearance, a courtesy normally extended to former vice presidents. More significantly, in August, Trump signed a memorandum canceling her Secret Service protection effective September 1, despite President Biden having extended it for an additional year before leaving office.
Future Political Prospects
Speculation about Harris’s political future continues to dominate Democratic circles. While she announced in July 2025 that she would not run in the 2026 California gubernatorial election, she remains a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential election. According to The Hill, most top Democratic officials have not discouraged the idea, with some publicly expressing support should she decide to run again.
A recent poll shows Harris as the leading Democratic contender for 2028, maintaining strong name recognition and favorable ratings among party members.
Historic Legacy
Harris’s career has been marked by groundbreaking achievements long before her vice presidency. She served as California’s attorney general from 2011 to 2017, becoming the state’s first female and South Asian attorney general. She then represented California in the U.S. Senate from 2017 to 2021, where she became the nation’s first Indian American senator.
As vice president, Harris cast the most tie-breaking votes in Senate history, shattering a nearly 200-year-old record. She was tasked with addressing the root causes of Latin American migration, promoting voting rights legislation, and became a vocal advocate for reproductive health care access following the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision.
Her path to the vice presidency began with her legal career after earning a B.A. in political science and economics from Howard University in 1986 and a law degree from Hastings College in 1989.
As Harris celebrates her 61st birthday today, she continues to embody what she described during her 2024 campaign as “a new generation of leadership”. Whether that leadership manifests in another presidential run or through continued advocacy and public engagement remains an open question as the Democratic Party looks toward 2028.
Britannica. 2025. “Kamala Harris.” October 18, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kamala-Harris.
Fillion, Allie. 2025. “Kamala Harris: It was a ‘big mistake’ not to invite Elon Musk to a White House EV event.” Fortune, October 18, 2025. https://fortune.com/2025/10/18/kamala-harris-big-mistake-elon-musk-white-house-ev-event-biden/.
Fox Baltimore. 2025. “Kamala Harris still Democratic favorite for 2028. Poll reveals where Newsom, AOC stand.” October 20, 2025. https://foxbaltimore.com/news/nation-world/kamala-harris-still-democratic-favorite-for-2028-poll-reveals-where-gavin-newsom-aoc-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-stands-election-politics-voters.
National Today. 2022. “Kamala Harris Birthday.” October 3, 2022. https://nationaltoday.com/birthday/kamala-harris/.
NPR. 2025. “Kamala Harris’ political future.” July 31, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/31/nx-s1-5486004/kamala-harris-political-future.
Richmond, Todd and AP Staff. 2025. “In AP interview, Harris says Democrats ‘are standing up for working people’ in government shutdown.” Associated Press, October 18, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/kamala-karris-democrats-trump-2028-6a2bf6f7861b7a7600f168c623364c85.
Washington Post. 2025. “In AP interview, Harris says Democrats ‘are standing up for working people’ in government shutdown.” October 18, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/18/kamala-karris-democrats-trump-2028/03f9c78a-abdb-11f0-a2bc-82cf6840599d_story.html.