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The senator further invites viewers to join her in Oakland, California, on Sunday, in what Harris' staff say will be the campaign's official launch.

Though she has served only two years in the Senate, Harris has drawn interest from Democrats for her trenchant examinations on the Senate Judiciary Committee, particularly during last year's Supreme Court confirmation hearings for now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Both the Kavanaugh hearings and recent sessions with attorney general-nominee William Barr and acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler, became high-profile opportunities for senators with rumored 2020 interest to capture public attention.

In addition to Harris, Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., all drew their share of praise from party loyalists.

\"PHOTO:
Jacquelyn Martin/AP, FILE
PHOTO: Sen. Kamala Harris questions President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, on the third day of his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Sept. 6, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
>

Following the record number of women and candidates of color elected during the 2018 midterm elections, Harris -- who was born to an Indian mother and Jamaican father -- was repeatedly floated as a presidential candidate who could similarly represent the increasing diversity of the United States.

Asked earlier this month whether the country was ready for a woman of color to be president, Harris was unequivocal and expressed optimism.

\"Absolutely,\" she said, adding, \"We need to give the American public more credit ... we have so much more in common than what separates us.\"

Despite waiting until Monday to make her official announcement, Harris is no stranger to the early states where she will soon campaign. In 2018, the senator visited Iowa and South Carolina to stump for local candidates.

It's also likely she could spend significant time in her home state of California, which moved up its primary to Super Tuesday in March 2020 in the hopes of playing a more significant role in the nominating process.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday portends to be a busy one for both those who have already thrown their hat into the Democratic primary ring and a number of potential candidates. At least seven high-profile Democrats are attending events commemorating the holiday across the country Monday, including former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who will be attending a National Action Network breakfast in Washington, D.C.

Booker and Sanders will also speak at a rally at South Carolina's state house, and Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, is marching in the city's Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade.

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