Vice President Kamala Harris is prioritizing her experience as a former prosecutor as she seeks to “prosecute” her GOP competitor and make her case for the presidency in the upcoming November election. However, critics assert that her legal background is largely “lacking” in accomplishments, attributing much of her advancement to effective networking.
Her nearly three-decade journey in politics has been marked by various obstacles, including her initial failure to pass the bar exam in 1989.
Civil rights attorney Leo Terrell, who succeeded in passing the California bar on his first attempt that same year, described Harris as a “political opportunist” who capitalized on being “in the right place at the right time.” Through strategic decisions, she has progressed from district attorney to attorney general, U.S. senator, and now vice president – possibly aspiring for more.
“Networking,” Terrell commented, has been key to Harris’ ascent. “Let’s be honest, she reached these positions not due to academic merit. She became San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, U.S. senator, and vice president primarily because of networking.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris’ rise up the ranks has included numerous bumps along the way – including failing her bar exam on the first try in 1989. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Terrell further noted that the influence of former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who has candidly discussed his romantic involvement with Harris in the 1990s, played a significant role in her political ascent.
“She lacks significant achievements as a lawyer; her record is essentially empty,” Terrell claimed. “From my perspective, listening to her speak and observing her approach to public issues… she doesn’t come across as an intellectual powerhouse. I simply don’t understand how she has reached her current political standing. It’s all about networking and being in the right place at the right time.”
Following President Biden’s withdrawal from the race, Harris has emphasized her role as California’s “top cop” in her presidential bid.
“As a determined prosecutor, Kamala Harris faced individuals like Trump regularly: rapists, fraudsters, criminals – she knows how to handle people like Trump and put them in their place,” a narrator said in a recent pro-Harris advertisement.
With Biden out, Democrats are increasingly framing the election as a “Prosecutor vs. the Felon,” in reference to former President Trump, who faced a guilty verdict in a New York criminal case earlier this year.
“The contrast in this election couldn’t be clearer – a prosecutor versus a convicted felon. A defender of America’s essential rights versus a man who has sought to dismantle them consistently. Let’s get to work,” Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., posted on X.
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“November 5: the Prosecutor vs. the Felon,” added Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y.
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett testifies during the third day of her confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill, Oct. 14, 2020. (Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Harris, who will celebrate her 60th birthday in October, has spent 27 years navigating the legal landscape, beginning with her unsuccessful attempt at the bar exam.
Her bar exam failure drew national attention in 2020 while she was campaigning for the White House alongside Biden, all while serving in the Senate, notably as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In this role, she interrogated Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, whom Trump nominated to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“Republicans are rushing to confirm this nominee as quickly as they can because they need one more Trump appointee on the bench before Nov. 10 to win and overturn the entire Affordable Care Act,” Harris asserted during the hearings. “This is not an exaggeration. This is a reality.”
Harris’ questioning of Barrett was not as intense as her prior exchanges, especially during the contentious Kavanaugh nomination hearings in 2018. As the 2020 election approach heightened tensions, social media users highlighted that the then-vice presidential candidate had failed her bar, while Barrett had excelled at Notre Dame Law School, finishing first in her class.
“Kamala Harris failed the bar on her first attempt. Amy Coney Barrett finished at the top of her class,” read a social media post at that time. “That says it all.”
The comments on social media prompted various outlets, including USA Today, to fact-check the claims, confirming that Harris did indeed fail the bar on her first try, whereas Barrett graduated at the top of her class. The New York Times noted in a 2016 feature on Harris her initial failure and how she later consoled a fellow law student who had also struggled, stating: “It’s not a reflection of your ability.”
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Ashley Williams, Montel Williams and Kamala Harris attend Eighth Annual Race To Erase Multiple Sclerosis Benefit at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California on May 18, 2001. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Ultimately, Harris passed the bar exam a year later, gaining admission in 1990, as confirmed by the California Bar Association’s website.
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Harris attended Howard University, a historically Black institution, for her undergraduate studies, and later earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Terrell noted that it is a respected law school, making it somewhat surprising that a graduate would fail the bar exam on their initial attempt.
District Attorney Kamala Harris walks into a courtroom on April 29, 2004, in San Francisco. (Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
After successfully passing the bar, she began her legal career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office as a deputy DA in 1990. In the late 1990s, she transitioned to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office as an assistant DA, then to the San Francisco city attorney’s office, before successfully campaigning in 2004 to become San Francisco’s district attorney. She held that position for approximately seven years, during which she developed a relationship with then-Senator Barack Obama and established connections with fellow Californian, Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
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San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris speaks to supporters before a press conference on Oct. 29, 2008. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Her rapid advancement in politics continued as she secured the position of California attorney general in 2011, during Governor Jerry Brown’s administration. Following this, she successfully ran for the Senate in 2016 after longtime Senator Barbara Boxer decided to retire from politics.
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Just days after Obama endorsed Biden for the presidential race in August 2020, Biden disclosed that Harris would be his running mate. Harris, often referred to as “the Female Obama,” shares a long-standing friendship with the 44th president, having been one of the first elected Democrats to endorse his initial presidential bid in 2008, choosing him over Hillary Clinton.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama attend an event in the East Room of the White House on April 5, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“We did it, Joe,” Harris famously expressed during a phone call with Biden upon learning that they had won the election according to polling data.
Currently, Harris is viewed as the likely Democratic nominee for the 2024 election after Biden’s exit from the race, a move that was closely followed by his endorsement of her.
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“My first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to select Kamala Harris as my Vice President. It has been one of the best choices I’ve made,” Biden wrote in an X post after announcing his withdrawal from the race. “Today, I fully support and endorse Kamala as our party’s nominee this year. Democrats – it’s time to unite and defeat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks alongside President Biden in the Rose Garden of the White House on July 26, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Biden has faced increasing pressure from his Democratic allies and the media to withdraw from the race since a problematic debate performance on June 27, which was characterized by disjointed remarks and a lack of sharpness compared to previous appearances.
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Contributions to this report were made by Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph.
