Sen. Kamala Harris Picks Baltimore For Presidential Campaign HQ

BALTIMORE — California Sen. Kamala Harris announced on Monday that she is running for president in 2020. Harris, a Democrat, tweeted her intentions as she appeared on Good Morning America for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She cited the civil rights leader as an inspiration in her own campaign.

"The thing about Dr. King that always inspires me is that he was aspirational. He was aspirational like our country is aspirational. We know that we've not yet reached those ideals. But our strength is that we fight to reach those ideals. So today, the day we celebrate Dr. King, is a very special day for all of us as Americans and I'm honored to be able to make my announcement on the day we commemorate him," Harris said on Good Morning America.

Harris plans to open her East Coast campaign headquarters in Baltimore because it is diverse, near DC and close to BWI Airport, according to The Baltimore Sun, which reported she had not picked an exact location as of Monday.

Baltimore will be the main campaign headquarters for Harris, according to Politico, which stated a secondary office will be in Oakland, California.

Harris is the latest to throw her hat into what's shaping up to be a crowded Democratic race. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, and Hawaii Sen. Tulsi Gabbard have all announced their candidacies.

Before being elected to the Senate in 2016, Harris served as the California Attorney General and the San Francisco District Attorney. Should she be elected president, Harris would be the first woman and the first woman of color to hold the office.

— By Katie Kausch, Patch Staff

Pictured, Sen. Kamala Harris (Democrat-CA) on Capitol Hill Nov. 13, 2018, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)