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Government & Politics

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris Backs Jealous for Governor

Add U.S. Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) to the list of national progressive celebrities endorsing former NAACP president Benjamin T. Jealous to be governor of Maryland.

Harris, a former California attorney general and district attorney for San Francisco, announced her endorsement in a statement released Friday morning.

“Every day we see the damage being done to our country by this administration and we need leaders in our states like Ben, who have shown the political courage our families need right now,” she said. “Maryland has the opportunity to elect a leader who comes to politics as a civil rights leader, a businessman, an educator, and a father. He understands we elect leaders to stand up for working people and vulnerable communities so their voices are heard and change happens.”

KamalaHarris

U.S. Sen. Kamala D. Harris

Harris is the fourth potential candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination to have backed Jealous, joining fellow Sens. Cory A. Booker of New Jersey and Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Los Angeles Mayor Eric M. Garcetti. Other nationally known progressives endorsing Jealous are climate activist and TV personality Van Jones; author and 350.org founder Bill McKibben; and Rea Carey, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force.

Just as significantly, Jealous enjoys the support of several progressive groups with a strong presence in the state, including key labor unions.

Jealous said he was “grateful” to receive Harris’ blessing.

“I’m thankful for her support,” he said, “and proud to have her as an ally as we build a broad diverse coalition committed to getting our schools back to number one, passing Medicare-for-All, enacting a $15 minimum wage, achieving criminal justice reform, and further advancing the rights of DREAMers in our state.”

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U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris Backs Jealous for Governor