For this Michigan family, a Kamala Harris presidency is the future of US politics

Neela Parthasarathy isn’t old enough to vote yet, but she knows that a Kamala Harris presidency would be a game-changer for women in US politics.

When Kari Parthasarathy and her daughter Neela found out that President Joe Biden was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, they—like many Americans—were caught off guard.

“We were school shopping that day, and I just left Target, and I saw the news on my phone,” Kari Parthasarathy said.

When Kari told her daughter Neela, age 10, the news about Biden, a brief moment of disappointment quickly turned into excitement as she discovered who the next likely Democratic candidate would be.

“I felt a little sad that Biden dropped out, but I felt amazing when I found out that Kamala [Harris] was running because I’m a really big supporter of her,” Neela said. “So it was very, very cool.”

Vice President Kamala Harris is no stranger to making history. In 2020, Harris broke the glass ceiling of higher office when she was elected as second in command under President Joe Biden. Just after the election was called for Biden and Harris, Center for American Women and Politics Director Debbie Walsh noted in a conversation with Rutgers University that it marked a turning point for Black Women voters.

“Black women have been the backbone of the Democratic Party. They are the demographic that most consistently delivers the votes to Democratic candidates, but historically have not been rewarded for the difference that they have made to election outcomes. Until now,” Walsh said.

Four years later, Harris, who is of Black and Indian descent, continues to build momentum as she rallies support from voters across multiple backgrounds, including women and minority voters, Gen-Z voters, and even future voters like Neela—who equates Harris to stars like Taylors Swift. 

After Harris became vice president, Neela excitedly wrote her a letter.

“And I actually got a letter certificate back from her. And when I got that I was so happy. It was kind of like, because I’m a very big Swiftie, it was like I had met Taylor Swift or something, so it was just amazing for me.”

In 2021, Neela—who, like Harris, is half-Indian—took her admiration for the vice president to the next level by portraying her in a school video project.

“I became the first female vice president of the US, serving alongside President Joe Biden. I have inspired millions of women, girls, and minorities. While I may be the first black woman and South Asian American to hold my office, I am determined to not be the last,” Neela said while wearing Harris’s signature look of a blazer, Chucks, and pearls.

Neela Parthasarathy dressed as Vice President Kamala Harris for a school project. (Courtesy image)

The fact that women have come so far isn’t lost on Kari.

“Growing up, I watched presidential elections, and they were always old white men, and they were exciting, and everyone was interested in them, but it was always old white men. And if you had a day at school where everyone had to go around and say what they wanted to be, if someone who wasn’t going to grow up and be an old white man said, ‘I might be the president,’ it was kind of like ‘oh haha, cute,'” Kari said. “But we’ve had a Black president now. We’ve had a woman vice president, we’ve had a woman of color vice president. I mean, the sky’s the limit. This should just be the beginning of many groundbreaking moments in politics so that we get to that, the end result of representative diversity.”

While Neela herself isn’t old enough to vote yet, Harris’ rise is also being celebrated by emerging voters. In a statement, Gen-Z voting organization Voters of Tomorrow signaled that they are ready to usher in a “new generation of American leadership.”

“As a champion of reproductive freedom, climate change, economic justice, and gun violence prevention, Vice President Harris is uniquely equipped to build a coalition of young voters who will lead her to victory,” the statement said. “Elevating VP Harris to the Oval Office would be historic: The first woman, first Asian American, and second Black president. As members of the most diverse generation in our nation’s history, a Kamala Harris presidency would be one in which we see ourselves.”

The Democratic National Convention takes place August 19-22, where it’s almost certain Harris will be selected as the Democratic presidential nominee.

While she doesn’t personally have any aspirations to be president, Neela said she will always stand up for women candidates.

“In history class, we learned that there was once a rule that Blacks couldn’t vote, women couldn’t vote. And now we’re so far past that, but I still want to keep representing women … and everything that stands for.”

If Harris does end up winning the presidency, Kari and Neela have one more plan to figure out—how to get to the inauguration.

“I think even if we had to sleep in our car because all the hotels were full, I think we would [go]. I’m getting kind of tingly thinking of it. But yeah, it would be great to go,” Kari said.