'Everyone is used to relatives that are doofuses': Kamala's sister breaks tradition

Maya Harris is serving as chief adviser and alter ego to her big sister.

Kamala Harris’ campaign held a pair of intimate fundraisers last week in New York and Connecticut, where two dozen or so guests gathered at each event to hear the headliner offer a glimpse of the inner sanctum.

The featured guest, however, was not the candidate; Kamala didn’t attend. It was Maya Harris, her campaign chairwoman and younger sister.


Since Kamala launched her White House bid, no figure in her orbit has loomed so large. A regular presence on the trail, Maya has been involved in virtually every facet of the race, from soliciting donors and recruiting the most diverse staff of any Democratic hopeful, to helping draft policy and talking up early-state politicos.

A no-nonsense boss who became a single mom at 17 and earned a law degree from Stanford before embarking on a long career in progressive activism, she’s emerged as a primary attraction in her own right. Aside from standing in for Kamala at fundraisers, Maya can be seen at campaign stops posing for pictures with selfie-seekers who recognize her from social media and her time as an MSNBC talking head — a gig she landed after advising Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Maya is often the first point of contact for her sister in early states, where officials and operatives said she frequently touches base to gauge the lay of the land. In South Carolina, Marguerite Willis said she was eager to meet Maya because she speaks with authority for the candidate. Willis’ sister was the No. 2 in her campaign for governor last year.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/07/kamala-harris-maya-1356591