Kamala D. Harris is many things in one. She is the first female vice president in American history and the first woman of color to hold that office. The American politician and attorney is worth $6 million. Most of this wealth comes from her husband’s earnings as an attorney.
Kamala Harris was the California senator between 2017 and 2021. On August 2020, Joe Biden named her his running mate in the 2020 presidential elections. Biden and Harris delivered a landslide win against Donald Trump and Mike Pence. The win was historical in the Electoral College as well as the popular vote count.
Harris is the first female American vice president and the first woman of color to hold that office. Are you curious about the wealth of the first Asian vice president in the U.S.? Read on. Get the lowdown on VP Kamala Harris’s wealth.
Kamala Harris’s Biography
Kamala Devi Harris is an American politician and attorney born October 20, 1964. She was born in Oakland, California, to Shyamala Harris and Donald J. Harris.
Her father is a Jamaican economist and a professor at Stanford University. Her mother was the daughter of an Indian diplomat and a cancer researcher. Harris has a younger sister, Maya Harris, who is also a lawyer. She is also a public policy advocate and writer.
Harris started her schooling at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, a French-speaking primary school in Quebec, Canada. She then transferred to F.A.C.E. School before graduating from Westmount High School in 1981. Kamala Harris studied political science and economics at Howard University. She graduated from the historically black college in 1986.
At university, Kamala Harris interned for California Senator Alan Cranston. She was the chair lady of the economics society, the debate club, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Kamala Harris left Washington, D.C, to study law at the University of California’s Hastings College Of Law. She earned her law degree in 1989. She was the president of the school’s Black Law Students Association.
Take a Look at Who is Kamala Harris?:
The Evolution of Kamala Harris’s Net Worth: An Overview
Kamala Harris’s Early Career: Financial Beginnings
Harris passed the California Bar in 1990. She immediately secured a job as deputy district Attorney in Alameda County. Early in her career, Harris was often described as an able prosecutor on the way up.
Prosecutor
In 1994, the California Assembly speaker, Willie Brown, appointed Harris as a prosecutor in California. Brown appointed her to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. Speaker Brown later moved her to the California Medical Assistance Commission. The appointment later appeared in media reportage as a case of favoritism. It was a case of California political leaders appointing friends to lucrative positions. Allegedly, Harris and Brown were in a romantic relationship when he appointed her to these positions.
Assistant District Attorney
Kamala Harris was appointed assistant district attorney in 1998. Terence Hallinan, San Fransisco district attorney, put her in charge of a team of five attorneys in the Career Criminal Division. As assistant D.A., Harris prosecuted tough sexual assault and homicide cases.
Harris was always an outspoken advocate for human and civil rights. She rejected the 2000 Proposition 21, which allowed prosecutors to try and sentence juveniles as adults. When she tried campaigning against Prop 21, Hallina’s assistant, Darrel Salomon, demoted her. This forced Harris to resign from the position.
District Attorney
In August 1998, Kamala Harris took a job with city attorney Louise Renne, who endorsed her to run for office as District Attorney. She was the least known candidate among the incumbent D.A. Terence Hallinan and Bill Fazio.
After running a forceful campaign, Kamala Harris won the elections. She became the first person of color elected as San Francisco D.A. She ran for a second term unopposed in 2007.
In 2008, Kamala Harris announced her intentions to run for the office of Attorney General of California. She said she would only vie if the then-AG, Jerry Brown, would not seek reelection. When she decided to vie for the position of governor, Harris sought support from big democrats in California.
Harris won the elections and was sworn in on January 3, 2011. She was the first woman to hold the position of attorney general in the history of California. She was also the first woman of color to win attorney general elections in California.
According to her 2015 Congressional finance disclosure forms, Harris was worth $3.32 million before the Senate.
A Shift to Politics: Impact on Kamala Harris’s Wealth
Kamala Harris’s political career began in 2015. This time, Barbara Boxer announced she would not seek reelection as California senator. Harris announced her candidacy the following week. Boxer had represented California for over 20 years. She was a top contender throughout the campaign period.
The 2016 elections used the top-two primary system. This format dictates that the top two candidates in the primary election would move on to the ballot even if they are of the same party. In this case, the top two candidates were all Democrats, Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez. This was the first time since 1914 that California had no Republican senate candidate.
Harris’s campaign received a huge boost from Governor Jerry Brown, Barrack Obama, and Joe Biden endorsements. She won the elections and served as a senator until 2021.
Factors Contributing to Kamala Harris’s Net Worth
Salary and Benefits of a U.S. Vice President
On August 11, 2020, Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden, announced Kamala Harris as his running mate. She was the third woman after Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin to join a major party as presidential running mate nominee.
The 2020 U.S. presidential elections concluded, and Harris was the vice-president elect. She assumed office on January 20, 2021.
Harris is the third person with acknowledged ancestry out of Europe to hold such a higher office in the United States. The other two are Curtis and former President Barack Obama.
The combined net worth of Kamala Harris and her Husband, attorney Douglas Emhoff, is $6 million. Her primary source of income is her vice presidential annual salary of $235,100. From their 2021 income tax returns, Kamala Harris and Douglas Emhoff had average annual earnings of $1.65 million.
Take a Look at America 101: What is the Role of the Vice President? | History:
Personal Investments and Assets
According to annual disclosure reports filed in 2019, Harris and Emhoff have assets amounting to $2.5 to $6 million. The forms also showed mortgage liabilities of at least $3 million. Most of her liquid assets are either invested in mutual funds or retirement plans.
According to Harris and Emhoff’s joint income tax returns for 2022, the couple earned a combined annual income of $456,918. According to the filings, the couple paid federal and California income taxes of $93,000 and $17,000, respectively.
Harris also earns from her widespread investment portfolio. She holds investments in stocks and bonds, including BlackRock funds, Vanguard and iShares.
The current vice president owns many real estate properties in her home state of California. She has a home in Brentford, Los Angeles. Her other real estate properties include an Oakland condominium and a townhouse in D.C.
The three homes have a combined value of $8 million. Harris has an average of $11.75 million to $16.29 million in assets. These include her real estate properties, cash, and investments.
Book Deals and Speaking Engagements
In addition to her annual salary of $235,100, Harris receives income from book royalties and speaking engagements. In fact, financial reports released by the White House show that she earns more than her boss, Joe Biden, in book royalties. In 2021, she earned around $326,000 for her 2019 book, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey. Her children’s book, Superheroes Are Everywhere, brought her $130,000 in royalties.
Kamala Harris’s Philanthropy and Impact on Net Worth
Donations and Charitable Contributions
According to financial reports, Harris and Emhoff are less philanthropic than other politicians. Their 2020 tax returns released by the White House show that the couple had a combined income of $1,695,225. Out of this, they gave only $27,006 to charity in 2020. This is equivalent to 1.6% of their 2020 annual income.
Kamala Harris’s Net Worth Growth
| Net worth before politics | $3.31 million |
| Current net worth | $6 million |
| Senate annual salary; 2017 – 2021 | $174,000 |
| Vice presidential annual salary; 2021 | $235,100 |
| Earnings from book royalties | Over $325,000 in 2021 |
| Investments in stocks and bonds and cash assets | $3.75 million to $8.29 million |
| Real estate properties | Approximately $8 million |
F.A.Q.s
Is Kamala Harris Among the Richest in U.S. Politics?
Vice President Harris has a net worth of $6 million. This places her among the richest politicians in the United States.
Who is Kamala’s Husband?
Kamala Harris is married to Douglas Craig Emhoff. The American lawyer and business is the key reason Harris is worth $6 million. The bulk of their income is thanks to Emhoff’s law firm salary. He practices intellectual property law and commercial litigation.
How Much is Kamala Harris’s Husband Worth?
Douglas Emhoff is an American businessman and intellectual property lawyer. He is worth $6 million.
Who are Kamala Harris’s Children?
Kamala Harris became the stepmother to Cole Emhoff and Ella Emhoff when she married Douglas Emhoff in 2014.
Summarizing the Journey of Kamala Harris’s Net Worth
Throughout her career, Kamala Harris has been making history. She was the first person of African and Asian descent to hold the office of California’s attorney general. In 2021, she became the first female vice president in United States history.
She is also the first African-American and Asian-American to hold the vice president’s office. Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, have a net worth of $6 million. Her wealth comes from her husband’s income from his law firm salary, income from book royalties, and vice presidential salary. Her current position puts Harris in a viable position to bid for president in 2024.
