It's Official: Kamala Harris Formally Announces Run For Senate Seat Vacated By Barbara Boxer
SACRAMENTO (KCBS/BCN) -- State Attorney General Kamala Harris has formally announced plans on Tuesday that she will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barbara Boxer in 2016.
In a statement released this morning Harris said she wishes to build a grassroots campaign that reaches all communities throughout the state.
Harris states she will fight for children, middle class families, seniors, and immigrant communities.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire Tom Steyer are seen as potential opposition for Harris for the Senate seat.
Harris, who was born in Oakland and received her law degree from University of California Hastings College of the Law, started her career as a prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney's office and moved across the Bay to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office in 1998.
She was elected as the city's district attorney in 2003 and re-elected in 2007 before winning the state attorney general seat in the 2010 election and again last November.
Another San Francisco politician who was rumored to seek Boxer's seat, former Mayor and current Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, announced on Facebook Monday that he will not run for Senate.
"I know that my head and my heart, my young family's future, and our unfinished work all remain firmly in the State of California -- not Washington, D.C.," Newsom wrote.
"In the months to come, I look forward to doing whatever I can to help elect California's next great Democratic Senator --- one worthy of succeeding Barbara Boxer and serving this remarkable state of dreamers and doers," he wrote.
Kamala Harris' Official Statement:
I'm excited to share with you that I'm launching my campaign to represent the people of California in the United States Senate.Your support has been crucial to me every step of the way, and I'm asking you to help me build a grassroots campaign that reaches every community of California.From my first days as a prosecutor in Alameda County, to my work as San Francisco District Attorney to my current service as California Attorney General, I have worked to bring smart, innovative and effective approaches to fighting crime, fighting for consumers and fighting for equal rights for all.I want to be a voice for Californians on these issues and others that impact our state in the U.S. Senate. I will be a fighter for the next generation on the critical issues facing our country. I will be a fighter for middle class families who are feeling the pinch of stagnant wages and diminishing opportunity. I will be a fighter for our children who deserve a world-class education, and for students burdened by predatory lenders and skyrocketing tuition. And I will fight relentlessly to protect our coast, our immigrant communities and our seniors.California has been incredibly well served by the transformational leadership of Senator Boxer and the continued service of Senator Feinstein. With your help, I hope to build on their legacies in the U.S. Senate.I'm looking forward to seeing and talking with you in the coming days and months. In the meantime, I hope you will join me on this journey. We will do incredible things together.Thank you,Kamala
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