WASHINGTON — Dan Morain spent two months seeking out anyone who would talk to him about America's first female vice president, and despite how well we think we might know her, Morain says there's lots to learn.
“She lives her life on the public stage….but much of her life is held close,” the author of "Kamala’s Way: An American Life" said.
The authorized biography of the vice president-elect explores her upbringing and political rise. Morain said he spoke with dozens of people to understand the life and career of Harris, whom he called smart, savvy, and tested.
“Without a doubt, she will run for president again if given the opportunity,” he said. “Her success depends on Joe Biden’s success. I think she really understands that ... She knows that his success will reflect back on her.”
Harris is no stranger to politics. She served as San Francisco’s district attorney from 2004 to 2010, and then she was California’s attorney general from 2011 to 2017 before heading to the Senate.
But it was her close relationship with Beau Biden, the president-elect’s late son, that opened the door to a relationship with Joe Biden.
“Joe Biden has talked about that relationship as consequential…to her being his running mate,” Morain explained. “He dearly loved Beau Biden and speaks about him all the time. On multiple occasions, talked about the significance of Beau Biden’s relationship with Kamala Harris as being important in his decision to select her.”
What is often left out of the conversation surrounding Harris, Morain said, is her empathetic side, calling it widely seen and rarely reported.
When a former campaign member was nearing the end of her life, Harris did more than the requisite acknowledgment of her illness. Instead of simply sending a card, Harris made time to sit with her former staffer in the nursing home where she resided. For 20 minutes, she sat with her, held her hand and spoke with her.
“She doesn’t broadcast it," Morain said. "But it’s there."