Politics

Sen Kamala Harris and her husband reported earning nearly $3.1 million last year

How much is Kamala Harris worth
VIDEO4:5304:53
How much is Kamala Harris worth
Key Points
  • Democratic vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris and her husband's assets totaled about $2.8 million to $6.3 million in 2019.
  • Biden and Harris released their 2019 tax returns hours before the first presidential debate with President Trump. 
  • That year, Harris and Emhoff reported an adjusted gross income of $3,095,590, well above the almost $1,889,156 they reported in 2018. Harris also reported $464,500 in income from her work as a writer.

After Joe Biden chose Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice presidential nominee for the 2020 election, we revisited her public financial records to see how she made her money.

We also expanded on our previous reporting to get a better understanding of her fundraising history.

Biden and Harris released their 2019 tax returns hours before the first presidential debate with President Donald Trump. 

That year, Harris and husband Douglas Emhoff, an attorney, reported an adjusted gross income of $3,095,590, well above the almost $1,889,156 they reported in 2018. Harris also reported $464,500 in income from her work as a writer.

From her days as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general to her first term as U.S. senator, Harris has been in campaign mode for the better part of 17 years.

During her two terms as DA, she made $145,000 to $263,000 a year, according to her previous tax returns. Part of the large swing can be attributed to the release of her first book, published as she geared up for her statewide race for attorney general.

Her two campaigns for state attorney general raised about $8.8 million, according to California campaign finance records.

In 2014, she won reelection as attorney general and married Emhoff. In 2018, they reported and adjusted gross income of almost $1.9 million. Based on Harris' Senate disclosure filings, their 2019 assets were about $2.8 million to $6.3 million, a range based on the estimated value of some of their investments.

Her successful Senate bid in 2016 put her in the top tier of fundraisers. According to the Federal Election Commission, she was the 15th top fundraiser for Senate candidates that year. 

Before she ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, she released two more books, which bolstered her income. Her presidential bid lasted for less than a year, but in that time she raised over $41 million.

Since becoming Biden's running mate, the ticket and the Democrats have raised record amounts, including the single biggest monthly haul ever, at $364 million in August. 

Watch the video to find out more about how she accumulated her fortune and to learn more about her career.