While she may not be Mrs. Irma, Maya Harris knows everything about her sister, or her potential. In 2012, Kamala Harris was neither a congressman nor a senator, but had just been elected attorney general of California. However, the young woman already saw a destiny for her in the White House: “When she becomes president of the United States, I will call her Madam President, but for now you are just Kamala.” A fit of laughter live during an interview for the American news site, Daily Beatswhich gives a glimpse of the close relationship between the two sisters, separated by only three years. “She’s as close as you can get to having a double,” said Marguerite Willis, a lawyer from South Carolina, in 2019.
That same year, the Stanford-educated lawyer played a central role in Kamala Harris’ campaign in the Democratic primaries. From fundraising to on-the-ground representation to internal negotiations, Maya Harris was her elder’s eyes and ears. It’s therefore a safe bet that this former lieutenant of Hillary Clinton’s campaign will once again run for the White House. Her husband, Tony West, a former Uber executive and former PepsiCo lawyer, has been spotted several times on an Air Force Two, the vice-president’s plane.
Hollywood, a long-standing support
Overall, Kamala Harris seems to be well surrounded. Her inner circle is as large as it is eclectic. Strategists, spin doctors, tech bosses, Hollywood heavyweights and financial magnates… We can’t count the avalanche of support received in the aftermath of Joe Biden’s withdrawal. An entourage that she has managed to build throughout her career, and which has grown over the course of her encounters.
Like the day when a couple of very influential Hollywood friends, director and producer Reginald Hudlin and his wife, Chrisette Hudlin, introduced her to entertainment lawyer Doug Emhoff, whom she married in 2014. The New Yorker quickly became one of her first public supporters. Within the administration, he worked in particular on the fight against anti-Semitism, and took advantage of his role as second gentleman of the United States to speak out on gender equality.
Thanks to him, Kamala Harris is expanding her network in Hollywood. Although it is already dense. In 2003, when she was running for attorney general of the district of San Francisco, the co-president of Disney Entertainment Dana Walden and her husband, Matt, were among the donors to her campaign. The vice president is also close to the producer Ryan Murphy. She is among others a close friend of Laure Shell, whose husband, Jeff, is the former head of NBC Universal, and CEO of Paramount, but also of Nicole Avant, wife of Ted Sarandos, who is none other than the co-CEO of Netflix.
Financial support from tech players
The chairman of the number one streaming company, Reed Hastings, is among the donors to the Democratic campaign who pushed for Joe Biden to step down. The billionaire immediately boosted Kamala Harris’ campaign accounts by $7 million.
Because while Republicans have managed to make inroads in Silicon Valley in recent years, Democrats still have solid support in the tech kingdom. Last year, Microsoft Vice President Brad Smith organized a fundraiser for Joe Biden’s campaign.
The former California senator will also be able to count on Reid Hoffman, the venture capitalist and co-founder of LinkedIn, who was quick to give her his support.
Wall Street behind Kamala Harris
Democratic fundraiser confirms to the Financial Times : “A lot of Wall Street players have been supporting Kamala for years.” Lazard banker and former Citigroup executive Raymond J. McGuire, as well as Blackstone chairman Jonathan D. Gray, are also among the vice president’s backers. Evercore co-founder Roger Altman and hedge fund investor and former NBA co-owner Marc Lasry are also among the vice president’s backers.
Which is certainly why “Wall Street funds are flowing into Ms. Harris’ campaign,” our colleagues at Financial TimesOne collection was led by a certain Jon Hines, one of the leading advisors in corporate bankruptcy matters and also a “seasoned negotiator,” according to the Financial Times, from Centerview Partners, Blair Effron. “Blair and Brad [Smith] supported her enormously during the 2020 presidential primaries […]”These are not last-minute endorsements,” a Democratic source added.
Another personality who could prove to be a real asset to his campaign: Crystal McCrary McGuire. A businesswoman, married to Ray McGuire, who is one of the faces of the Seneca Project. A plan that aims to encourage women to go to the polls in the swing states. “I know she [Harris] “It will be very difficult, but I look at the numbers,” she said.
White House Veterans
In the presidential machine since 2020, Kamala Harris benefits from the human resources of the head of state. Thus, she keeps Joe Biden’s campaign chair: the strategist and deputy chief of staff of the White House, Jen O’Malley Dillon. The same one who, for weeks, hammered home from all sides that Joe Biden would not abandon the race for his re-election.
Now she is aware of it: “The campaign will be tight […] and hard-fought.” “Kamala Harris will spread her message across battlegrounds, capitalizing on the historic infrastructure the campaign has spent the past year building to reach voters where they are to ensure they understand the choice in this election […]”Vice President Harris is in a strong position and she is going to win,” she told the New York Post.
Jen O’Malley Dillon is expected to continue working closely with Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who is expected to remain on the Democratic campaign team. As are his vice presidential chief of staff, Sheila Nix, and his communications director Brian Fallon.
According to the Financial Timesthe name of the United States ambassador to Japan and Barack Obama’s first chief of staff at the White House, Rahm Emanuel, is circulating. Kamala Harris would like to see him play a leading role in the campaign. But nothing has been confirmed for the moment.
THE spin doctors
In the corridors of power, the name of another former close friend of the Chicago native also resonates: David Plouffe, a heavyweight strategist who advised Barack Obama for years. Director of the Democratic campaign in 2008, he was also a strategic advisor to Uber and is chief lobbyist for Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg’s charity: the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
According to the Washington Post, Donna Brazile, a savvy Democratic strategist, is also said to be in close contact with Kamala Harris, who already has Sergio Gonzales and Jalisa Washington-Price in her ranks, described by the Financial Times as “close to influential African-American lawmaker Jim Clyburn.”
To screen her potential running mates, Kamala Harris chose a long-time acquaintance: the former attorney general of the United States under Barack Obama, Eric Holder. Thus, the man who was also the first African-American to hold this position is invested with a mission of the utmost importance, as the choice of ticket could prove decisive for the outcome of the election.