Kamala Harris' challenge in a 2020 presidential bid? Defining herself before her opponents do
WASHINGTON - Shortly after she won a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2016, Kamala Harris said she expected to follow the traditional freshman lawmaker playbook: "Listen and watch, and kind of get a lay of the land."
Far from keeping her head down, however, California's junior senator has put herself way out front.
She's embraced a high-profile role in confronting the Trump administration, from her sharp questioning of Cabinet officials in public hearings to fiery speeches on the National Mall. In January she's releasing a book about her political vision.
And for someone who doesn't have to be on the ballot again until 2022, Harris is devoting a lot of money to building a national profile. Her Senate campaign spent $4 million in the past year and a half, including $1.6 million to Revolution Messaging, the consulting firm that built Sen. Bernie Sanders' widely praised digital and branding strategy.
Harris won't say whether she's running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. But nearly everyone thinks she will.
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