WHO IS KAMALA?

Lucas,

You've heard and seen their names, but how much do you know about our endorsed women for 2016?

Before we get into the intense primary season, I wanted to give you a little more (ok, a LOT more) information about our candidates and their campaigns. We've always endorsed impressive women, but the Class of 2016 may be the most impressive yet.

We'll be sending you briefings about all of our new women running for Senate over the next couple weeks.

Here's what you need to know about our candidate for California's Senate seat, Kamala Harris:

1. Who is Kamala
Kamala Harris is an Oakland native and current California attorney general. She's the daughter of an Indian mother and Jamaican father who met in graduate school fighting in the civil rights movement.

Those values of equality and justice are why Kamala became a lawyer. She believes law enforcement is about giving dignity to the most vulnerable and voiceless.

In 2003, she took on a two-term incumbent for San Francisco District Attorney. She had just six percent in early polls, but she won and kept on winning to become California's attorney general. She's the first woman, the first African American, and the first South Asian to hold the office.

As attorney general, she won back more than $20 billion for struggling California homeowners after the 2008 housing market crash. She also has a strong pro-choice record: Kamala filed an amicus brief against Hobby Lobby asking the Supreme Court to protect reproductive health.

2. The State: California
California's got a great track record of electing pro-choice Democratic women. From the first woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, there's a strong legacy to build on.

The state is also notoriously blue (though there are powerful pockets of red like Orange County). That tends to mean competitive primaries because top positions like senator can be long-term for Democrats.