Jimmy Kimmel introduced his big guest Tuesday night by saying that on Nov. 3, 2020, she “could make history as the first woman—and the first Kamala—ever to be elected president of the United States.”
Asked how the whole running-for-president thing is going so far, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) told Kimmel, “I’m enjoying it. I don’t know what that says about my personality, but I’m really enjoying it.”
As she began to talk about how “supportive” her husband Doug has been through this process so far, the host joked, “I don’t know if we’re ready for a first lady named Doug,” making the candidate crack up and confirm that her husband is “very secure” in his role.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We all know that nobody is perfect,” Harris said. “I am not perfect. Our kids are not perfect. My husband is not perfect. And I don’t think the American people want perfect. What they want is a leader who is going to put their interest above self-interest and speak truth.”
“Based upon what’s going on now, we definitely didn’t want perfect,” Kimmel replied, prompting a “ya think?” from his guest. “We definitely settled for something less than perfect.”
According to the most recent CNN poll of the Democratic field, Harris is a strong third but still far behind Bernie Sanders and frontrunner Joe Biden, who has not officially announced his candidacy.
Asked if she would rather Biden stay out of the race, she offered, diplomatically, “I think that everyone who wants to run should run. And truly the more the merrier, because we do not lack for talent among Democrats. And I think it is good to have a robust competition to get to the point of determining who will be the nominee for the party.”
As for concerns about the septuagenarian candidates, she added, “I think age is more than a chronological fact. It’s a state of mind. And if each candidate can show that they have an ability to understand where people are right now and also have a vision for the future, then I think they will be successful.”
Harris also responded to the call from her colleague and competitor Elizabeth Warren to do away with the Electoral College. “I’m open to the discussion,” she said. “There’s no question that the popular vote has been diminished in terms of making the final decision about who’s the president of the United States, and we need to deal with that.”
The senator’s past work as a prosecutor has made her a target for some progressives, but she made the case to Kimmel that it could be an asset when it comes to taking on Trump.
“I also believe that what voters are going to want is they are going to want that there is someone who has the proven ability to prosecute the case against this administration and this president,” she said to cheers from the crowd. “And that is going to be about having an ability and a proven ability to be able to articulate the evidence that makes the case for why we need new leadership in this country.”
Does that mean she will continue to go after Trump as president if she wins? “I am very supportive of Bob Mueller being able to finish his process and do his job,” she said.
