Kamala Harris Joins Democratic Presidential Field – The New York Times

However, even before she formally entered the race, Ms. Harris was criticized by her own party.

One of Ms. Harris’ top aides, Larry Wallace, resigned in December after revelations that he was involved in a harassment lawsuit and a $400,000 settlement while working for the California Department of Justice. Ms. Harris has said she did not know about the settlement, but apologized and took “full responsibility” for hiring Mr. Wallace.

Supporters characterized her prosecutorial career, which began when she joined the Alameda County district attorney’s office at 26, as a pioneering in the modern criminal justice reform movement. But critics on Ms. Harris’s left have called her record into question, pointing to a dramatic increase in the state’s prison population during her years in public office.

“If Kamala Harris wants people who care about dismantling mass incarceration and correcting miscarriages of justice to vote for her, she needs to radically break with her past,” wrote Lara Bazelon, a law professor, in an opinion piece for the Times last week.

It remains to be seen, however, how much Democratic primary voters will assess her based on her tenure in California.

A Quinnipiac University poll in mid-December illustrated Ms. Harris’s potential, finding her with an overwhelmingly favorable rating among Democrats but with the majority of respondents still wanting “to hear more.” About 40 percent of Democrats had a favorable opinion of her, compared with just four percent who viewed her unfavorably.

Ms. Harris, the first major candidate for president from California in over a quarter-century, could also benefit from changes to the 2020 nominating calendar. Her native state has moved up its primary to early March, immediately after the first four early-nominating states, presenting the possibility that she could capture a large trove of delegates just as the contest gets underway.

Ms. Harris’ campaign will be based in Baltimore with a second office in Oakland. In addition to the presidential announcement, her campaign staff also confirmed key staff positions and a logo — which reads “Kamala Harris For The People” in blue and red letters across a yellow background.

It was intended as another nod to Ms. Chisholm, who used a similar color scheme for her presidential campaign in 1972.