Kerri Evelyn Harris

"Kerri Harris" redirects here. For the Australian tennis player, see Kerry Harris.

Kerri Harris
Member of the Delaware House of Representatives
from the 32nd district
Assumed office
November 9, 2022
Preceded byAndria Bennett
Personal details
Born (1979-12-24) December 24, 1979 (age 44)
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
EducationHoward Community College (AS)
Wilmington University
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force
Years of service2001–2008
RankLoadmaster
Battles/warsIraq War

Kerri Evelyn Harris (born December 24, 1979)[1] is an American activist and politician who is the Democratic state representative for Delaware's 32nd district.[2][3] She was previously a Democratic candidate for United States Senate in 2018, mounting an unsuccessful primary challenge to incumbent US Senator Tom Carper.

Political career[edit]

Harris (right) with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (left) in 2018

In February 2018, Harris announced that she would be challenging three-term incumbent US Senator Tom Carper in the Democratic primary election.[4] She ran on a platform supporting Medicare for All, universal pre-K, a $15 an hour minimum wage, and criminal justice reform, among other progressive proposals.[5][1][6] Harris identifies as a progressive, but when asked if she was a democratic socialist, Harris said she "doesn’t necessarily consider herself one."[7] She received endorsements from progressive groups and individuals, including Justice Democrats, Our Revolution, state representative Sean Lynn, and future congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley.[8][9][10][11][12][13] Ocasio-Cortez held multiple rallies with Harris in Delaware after Harris assisted her with her own successful primary campaign against incumbent congressman Joe Crowley.[14][15] Harris lost to incumbent Senator Tom Carper in the September 2018 primary, receiving 35% of the vote. Despite her loss, Harris received the highest vote share of a Democratic primary candidate challenging a statewide incumbent in Delaware in 20 years.[16][17][18]

Harris announced in January 2022 that she would be launching a campaign for the Delaware House of Representatives in the 32nd district. Harris defeated three other candidates in the Democratic primary, receiving 65% of the vote.[19][3] She defeated Republican Cheryl Precourt in the general election on November 8, 2022, by a 16-point margin.[20][21]

Following Carper's retirement announcement in 2023, it was reported that Harris was looking at a 2024 run for U.S. House, since the seat will be vacant due to incumbent Congressman Lisa Blunt Rochester's campaign for Carper's U.S. Senate seat.[22][23]

Personal life[edit]

Harris lives in Dover, Delaware. She joined the United States Air Force in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks and retired from active duty in 2008.[24][1] Harris identifies as a lesbian and African American.[25][26][27] She has two children.[1]

Electoral history[edit]

2018 United States Senate Democratic primary results[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Carper (incumbent) 53,633 64.59%
Democratic Kerri Evelyn Harris 29,406 35.41%
Total votes 83,039 100.00%
2022 Delaware House of Representatives 32nd district Democratic primary[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kerri Evelyn Harris 725 64.56%
Democratic Phil McGinnis 270 24.04%
Democratic Lamont C. Pierce 76 6.77%
Democratic Lavaughn McCutchen 52 4.63%
Total votes 1,123 100.00%
2022 Delaware House of Representatives 32nd district general election[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kerri Evelyn Harris 2,691 57.97%
Republican Cheryl Precourt 1,951 42.03%
Total votes 4,642 100.00%
Democratic hold

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "2022 General Election Report".
  3. ^ a b "Delaware Primary Election Results". The New York Times. September 13, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  4. ^ Fishman, Margie. "Dover community activist to challenge Tom Carper". The News Journal. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  5. ^ "Issues | Kerri Evelyn Harris | Democrat for US Senate". August 13, 2018. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "Meet Kerri". Kerri Evelyn Harris. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  7. ^ Resnick, Gideon (September 3, 2018). "Kerri Harris Wants To Build a Movement. But First She Has a Senate Race to Win". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  8. ^ "Ayanna Pressley on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  9. ^ "Ilhan Omar on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  10. ^ "A Democrat from Dover is challenging Senator Tom Carper in the September primary".
  11. ^ "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter".
  12. ^ "Our Revolution on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  13. ^ "Harris Endorsed by Justice Democrats". May 22, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  14. ^ "Ocasio Cortez visits Newark in support of U.S. Senate candidate Kerri Harris". Delaware First Media. August 31, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  15. ^ "The Team That Helped Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has Its Next Mission: Lifting Kerri Harris Over Sen. Tom Carper". The Center for Popular Democracy. July 12, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "2018 Delaware primary election results". Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  17. ^ Grim, Ryan. "Kerri Harris Got More Votes Than She Thought She Needed, But It Wasn't Enough". The Intercept. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  18. ^ "Kerri Harris reflects on her U.S. Senate run and its impact". Delaware First Media. December 7, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Delaware Election Results". Department of Elections. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  20. ^ "2022 General Election Report".
  21. ^ "State of Delaware - Department of Elections". elections.delaware.gov. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  22. ^ "Delaware First Congressional District Election Results". New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  23. ^ Rubashkin, Jacob (May 23, 2023). "Delaware Senate: Carper Calls It Quits". Inside Elections. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  24. ^ "About Kerri | Kerri Evelyn Harris | Democrat for US Senate". August 13, 2018. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  25. ^ "Women running the House: Glass ceiling 'shattered' in Delaware General Assembly". WHYY. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  26. ^ Chibbaro, Lou Jr. (March 12, 2018). "Lesbian Democrat to challenge Carper for U.S. Senate in Delaware". Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  27. ^ "Kerri Evelyn Harris Is a Fighter". Vogue. August 29, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  28. ^ "2018 Delaware primary election results". Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  29. ^ "2022 General Election Report".
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