What Is Kamala Harris' Home Town?

Much is known about candidate Kamala Harris' history and upbringing at this point in the presidential election. News outlets have touched on Harris' strained relationship with her father and her multicultural background. We even know about Harris' college years and what she was like as a kid. However, there has been some confusion surrounding her hometown. While Harris has been vocal about her Oakland, California roots throughout her campaign, her uprooted childhood and adolescence were comprised of notable stints in other parts of the world, including Montreal, Canada, and, more importantly, Berkeley, California. However, Harris' decision to cast off her Berkeley beginnings has come into question.

According to Harris' birth certificate, she was, in fact, born in Oakland, but it was not until she reached her 20s and became a prosecutor that she truly established herself in the East Bay city. Harris's family circulated throughout her formative years; she lived in the Midwest for a brief period, attended high school in Montreal, and completed an undergraduate degree in Washington, all before eventually returning to San Francisco. The Democratic candidate even has ties across the pond where residents of her grandfather's village in southern India are praying for her success. Harris' decision to disregard certain aspects of her past makes sense when you consider her worldly upbringing, but failing to include Berkeley in her official biography does a disservice to the city where she spent much of her childhood.

Although Kamala Harris repudiates her Berkeley origin, locals of the area do not hold it against her. Many folks are ambivalent — understanding, even — about the brush-off. "Oh, people would definitely think Berserkeley!" said Anna Natille, a Berkeley local who lives near Ms. Harris's childhood home, told The New York Times. "We have such a reputation for being on the far left that we're all a bunch of communists and socialists." Jesse Arreguín, the mayor of Berkeley, also told NYT. "Berkeley is viewed as the most liberal city in the United States, and we're proud of that," he said. "But maybe for some people in the red states, that may freak them out." Therefore, detaching herself from this far-left association to cater to more central voters is likely a strategic move, more than anything.

Harris is far from the only prominent figure to have emphasized some roots over others. Indeed, presidential figures have long capitalized on specific cultural identities to bolster their reputation and relate to a wide pool of voters across the United States. For instance, Joe Biden himself often played into his Pennsylvanian hometown throughout both his candidacy and presidency, despite relocating to Delaware as a young child. In Harris' case, Oakland represents a beneficial association with the working class and appeals to a large population of Black residents from that region. The people of Berkeley appear rather unfazed by this political trick, which perhaps comes as some surprise considering the radical left movement that courses through her liberal hometown.