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  • 2020-08-14 (xsd:date)
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  • Did Kamala Harris Have an Extramarital Affair with Willie Brown That Boosted Her Career? (en)
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  • On Aug. 11, 2020, Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, selected U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate. Harris, who is the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, made history as the first woman of color nominated as vice president on a major party ticket. Predictably, the internet lit up with rumors about Harris, who has been married to her husband, attorney Douglas Emhoff, since 2014. Snopes readers asked about articles and memes circulating on social media stating that years prior, Harris had an extramarital affair with former San Francisco Mayor and California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, with some claiming that Harris' political success was achieved by being Brown's so-called mistress. A tawdry headline from Teaparty.org story read, Flashback: Kamala Harris Launched Her Political Career In Bedroom As Mistress Of Married Mayor Willie Brown. Here's an example of a meme circulating on Facebook, which appears to have been generated during Harris' run in the presidential primaries: These narratives are misleading by way of exaggeration. Harris dated Brown in the mid-1990s, but Brown had been estranged from his wife since 1981. Brown did appoint Harris to two political posts in 1994 while he served as Speaker of the California Assembly, but that was years before Harris won her first election in 2003. She was already working as an assistant district attorney in Alameda County when she took on the appointments. It's never been a secret Harris dated Brown in the mid-1990s, although it may not be well known outside political circles in California. Brown addressed their past relationship in a terse piece published by the San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 26, 2019, a day before Harris officially launched her presidential campaign: The history of the relationship and political appointments Brown gave Harris have also been reported in California-based news outlets for years. Los Angeles Magazine reported in 2019: Harris didn't run for political office until well after her relationship with Brown ended. In 2003, she made a successful bid for the office of San Francisco district attorney, a position she held until she was elected to serve as the attorney general of California, taking office in 2011. She held that post until she was elected in 2016 to serve in the United States Senate representing the state of California. Harris has been beset by allegations that Brown influenced her career for years. At the time of her first run for office for San Francisco district attorney, SF Weekly quoted Harris distancing herself from Brown: In regards to the political appointments, Harris went on to state: It's true that Harris dated Brown between 1994 and 1995. During that time, when he was serving as speaker of the California assembly, Brown gave Harris two political appointments. Although it's true that Brown was married at that time, the relationship was no secret, since Brown had long been separated from his wife. All of Harris' electoral victories occurred years after her relationship with Brown ended. We rate this claim Mixture, because while there are elements of objective fact — Brown and Harris dated, Brown appointed Harris to two posts — other elements are sensationalized and misleading. (en)
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