Indian-American Kamala Harris announces US Senate bid

Washington, January 14

Indian-American Kamala Harris, the California Attorney General, will run for the US Senate seat from the state in 2016, setting the stage for a race that could be one of the most expensive in the country.

“I’m sharing with you that I’m launching my campaign to represent the people of California in the United States Senate. I want to be a voice for Californians,” 50-year-old Harris announced yesterday in a message to her supporters posted on her campaign website.

Harris, the former district attorney of San Francisco who was just re-elected to her second term as attorney general, was the first to formally declare her candidacy since current Senator Barbara Boxer, 74, has announced that she would not run for re-election in the 2016 elections.

Many potential contenders have expressed interest in the post including former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire climate change activist Tom Steyer, as well as several members of the California congressional delegation.

But Harris’s strong fundraising base in California from her two statewide runs and her close alliance with President Barack Obama, make her one of the most formidable candidates in the race. Political pundits said Harris is a front-runner. — PTI