CALIFORNIA—On Tuesday, November 8, California residents elected Kamala Harris, as the new state senator. Harris previously worked as California’s Attorney General and was the former San Francisco District Attorney. She will succeed Barbara Boxer who served in the seat for 24 years.

Harris, born in Oakland, California, earned a Bachelor of Arts at Howard University and a law degree from the University of California. The newly elected senator started off her career as a prosecutor, before transitioning to become San Francisco’s District Attorney. She wrote a book in the process title, “Smart on Crime.”

She ran for California Attorney General and was elected in 2011. She made history becoming the first African American and Asian-American woman to hold office. As attorney general, she assisted in forming the California Homeowner Bill of Rights. She created the Division of Recidivism Reduction and the helped with the criminal re-entry  into society with the California State Department of Justice with the launch of the program,“Back on Track” which gave drug offenders an alternative to jail where they were provided with job training and life skills. She played a part in the appeal of Propisition 8, refusing to defend the ban on gay marriage.

Kamala Harris will take office for US Senator of the state of California on January 3, 2017.