Kamala Harris 2020 election: Who is the California Senator and could she be the next president?

Democratic senator Kamala Harris has confirmed she will run for president in the 2020 election.

The California Senator became the fifth democrat to announce their bid for the White House when she announced she was entering the race on Monday.

"I love my country," she told ABC's Good Morning America, adding that she would "fight for the best of who we are."

In a video giving Americans a snapshot of her upcoming campaign, Senator Harris said: "Justice. Decency. Equality. Freedom. Democracy. These aren't just words. They're the values we as Americans cherish. And they're all on the line now."

Here's everything you need to know about the Democratic presidential candidate:

Who is Kamala Harris?

Kamala Harris was born in Oakland in 1964. Her mother, who was born in India, was a breast cancer researcher and her father, from Jamaica, was an economics professor.

She went on to attend Harvard University in Washington, where she majored in political science and economics, and the University of California.

How did Kamala Harris get into politics?

Senator Harris started out as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California before becoming the district attorney of San Francisco.

She later became California’s attorney general and in 2016 was voted a California senator.

Her approach to tackling crime

Senator Harris is known for being passionate about reversing the narrative of being “tough on crime,” instead advocating for being “smart on crime,” which coincidentally was the tile of her 2009 book.

In 2017, she attended the Women Unshackled conference hosted by the Justice Action Network to discuss how to tackle America’s ever-increasing population of female inmates.

Senator Harris has called for states to reform their bail systems and treat incarcerated women with more dignity.

Tough stance on abortion

A pro-choice candidate, Harris supports public funding for abortion services and gained recognition for her hard questioning of Justice Brett Kavanaugh over his views on the matter.

In reference to Roe v Wade, Senator Harris asked Kavanaugh if he could think of any laws that give the government the power to make decisions about the male body.

After a pause, he said, "Um, I'm happy to answer a more specific question."

"Male versus female," she clarified, to which Kavanaugh responded, "I'm not thinking of any right now, Senator."

Who will she be up against in the 2020 election?

The California Senator will be up against Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tulsi Gabbard and John Delaney to become the Democrat's candidate.

When does her presidential campaign start?

Senator Harris plans to launch her campaign during a rally in Oakland, California on Sunday 27 January.