All eyes are on Vice President Kamala Harris following Joe Biden’s decision over the weekend to withdraw his candidacy for the U.S. presidency and to endorse her instead.
If Harris, 59, become the Democratic nominee and defeats Republican candidate Donald Trump in November, she would be the first woman to serve as U.S. president.
Harris previously served as the first woman and first Black attorney general and U.S. senator in California’s history.
In December 2018, then-senator Harris headlined a Know Your Value event in San Francisco as she was considering making a bid for the presidency in 2020.
Harris said she was keenly aware of the challenges a barrier-breaking campaign would entail.
“Let’s be honest. It’s going to be ugly,” Harris told Know Your Value founder and “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski on stage in front of hundreds of women. “When you break things, it is painful. And you get cut. And you bleed.”
Joe Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris for President. She was the first choice for the @Forbes and @KnowYourValue 50 over 50 list, showcasing the global impact of women over 50.
— Know Your Value (@KnowYourValue) July 21, 2024
The fourth annual #Forbesover50 list will be announced on August 1. Stay tuned! @HumaAbedin @mcgrathmag pic.twitter.com/4GOCp7CZjI
Harris did end up making a bid for the nation’s top position, but withdrew her bid in December 2019, citing a lack of funding.
In 2021, the vice president was honored on Forbes and Know Your Value’s inaugural “50 Over 50” list .
During an interview with Brzezinski about the honor, Harris encouraged women not to view their age as a limitation and to follow their passions at every phase of their lives.
“There is so much that we still need to do to encourage girls and women of every age to know and internalize their capacity, and to internalize their strength and their gift, whatever that may be—and to not be burdened by other peoples’ limited views of their capacity based on who has historically done what,” she said.
Harris, then 56, added she has never used her age as a guide for her life plans— not even when others told her “no.”
“I’ve never been one to do a five-year plan. Never. I’ve never evaluated myself based on my age,” Harris told Brzezinski. “…I’ve been told many times during my career, things from, ‘oh, you’re too young, ‘It’s not your turn,’ ‘They’re not ready for you.’ But I didn’t listen.”
The vice president added: “I eat ‘no’ for breakfast.” And just last month, Brzezinski sat down with Harris to mark the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling striking down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed the right to abortion in the United States. Accompanying Harris was Hadley Duvall, a young woman from Kentucky who survived her stepfather’s sexual abuse as a child. Duvall teamed up with Harris to sound the alarm on what a second Trump presidency would mean for women in America. Harris declared that freedom is at stake in this year’s election. “Every person of whatever gender should understand that if such a fundamental freedom, such as the right to make decisions about your own body can be taken. Be aware of what other freedoms may be at stake,” said Harris. Brzezinski asked Harris why the presidential race is so close, to which Harris responded: “These races are always close …At the end of the day, we’re going to win ..Just look at what happened in the midterms, for example…Many talked about the red wave. I would call it a red drip. You look at where the American people were in so called red states, and so called blue states, every time this issue of abortion was on the ballot, the people voted for freedom …We have our differences, but the American people believe in the integrity of our country and our values, which include that we protect and fight for individual freedoms and liberties. And so I do believe that the contrast is clear. And in November, it will be stark.”
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