California Senator Kamala Harris has reportedly decided to run for president, joining what many think will be a crowded 2020 Democrat field.
Harris joins a crowded field
Though it’s only January of 2019, Harris isn’t the first high-profile Democrat to announce her intention to run for president. Massachusetts Senator and racial chameleon Elizabeth Warren announced her campaign just before the new year, getting out in front of what’s going to be a clown car of a primary.
CBS reports that sources close to Sen. Harris confirmed her intention to run. She will most likely announce her candidacy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to the sources.
California Sen. Kamala Harris has decided to seek the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, sources tell @KCBSRadio https://t.co/BTc3ZO9hm6 pic.twitter.com/iQTceVfUos
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 10, 2019
Sexual harassment case dogs Harris campaign
Harris’s impending announcement comes just one day after an awkward interview she gave CNN’s Jake Tapper where she defended herself against accusations that her office tried to defend a staffer accused of sexual harassment.
Last month, it was revealed that an aide in her office resigned once it became public that he was accused of sexual harassment. (RELATED: Top Aide to Kamala Harris Abruptly Resigns After Harassment Settlement Surfaces.) The claim actually stemmed from his tenure at the California Department of Justice while Harris was the state’s AG. Harris accepted responsibility for the incident, but maintained that she didn’t know about the case.
.@KamalaHarris on LarryWallace resigning over sexual harassment: “It was a painful experience to know something could happen in one’s office of almost 5000 ppl, granted, but that I didn’t know…”
As @JakeTapper said, this was a top aide. Not some rando.pic.twitter.com/iMFO4vE08O
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) January 9, 2019
Given how focused the Democrat Party is on sexual harassment and the #MeToo movement, a top aide accused of sexual harassment may be enough to torpedo her campaign during what’s going to be a tough primary.
Here’s one thing we do know: If Harris somehow becomes the 2020 Democrat nominee, President Trump will giddily bring up the case over and over again, portraying Harris as a hypocrite masquerading as a warrior for women.
UPDATE – A source close to Harris corrects the record and states that it’s not fully determined Harris will announce her candidacy in Oakland on MLK Day. A formal announcement date isn’t settled. However, the source did not rule out a Harris run, implying that she is planning to launch a campaign.
Harris will not be announcing her candidacy at an Oakland rally on MLK weekend, per a person close to her. A formal announcement date is not settled, they said. https://t.co/djdq5bLNoO
— Christopher Cadelago (@ccadelago) January 10, 2019
