Maya Harris Reveals What She'll Call Her Big Sister Kamala if She's Elected President (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Maya and Kamala Harris as young children.Photo:Harris campaign

Harris campaign

To the world, she’s Vice PresidentKamala Harris. But on a quiet night, curled up on the couch watching a movie and sharing laughs withMaya Harris, she’s simply big sister.

“We are sisters who do the things that sisters do,” Maya, 57, tells PEOPLE during her first interview since joining the campaign trail as a family surrogate. Now in the final stretch of Kamala’s history-making presidential campaign, Maya emphasizes that their unbreakable bond is more important than ever.

Maya Harris celebrates Kamala Harris' historic nomination at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Maya, who served as a chair during Kamala’s 2020 presidential campaign, says the vice president, 59, “has and will never stop seeing me as her younger sister,” but Kamala respects her input anyway — something Maya considers an “important hallmark of who she is.”

“Kamala welcomes advice not just from me, but from anyone that she encounters with experience and perspective that she may not have,” she says. “She really listens to people. She respects other people’s points of view, even if they are different from hers. She respects what she may not know and that somebody else can help enlighten her about. And that is just who she is.”

Maya continues: “It’s something that is inspiring for me to see and be proud of as a younger sister.”

An accomplished lawyer, public policy adviser and human rights advocate, Maya has chased a career that largely complements Kamala’s time in public service. Now the sisters find themselves on the brink of their biggest challenge yet: selling the nation on their shared vision for a healthier America.

Kamala and Maya Harris pose in front of a Christmas tree.Kamala Harris Instagram

Kamala Harris Instagram

Maya says that her sister’s goal to better support working Americans is a direct reflection of their upbringing alongside their “trailblazing” mother,Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a breast cancer researcher who immigrated to the United States from India.

“We watched our mother work long hours,” Maya says. “She took us to her lab on the weekends. She gave us jobs to do while we were there, filing papers and cleaning beakers and pipettes so that we weren’t idle and that we found some way to contribute.”

Kamala and Maya Harris stand with their mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris.Kamala Harris/Twitter

Kamala Harris/Twitter

Decades after Kamala joined her parents at her first civil rights march, Maya still sees a piece of that little girl in her sister — one who wanted to make a difference in the world. The biggest change is that now, she has a platform to realize that dream.

“It’s never been about a position or a title. It’s always been about the ability to have an impact,” she says about Kamala. “She has always demonstrated leadership qualities from a very young age. She always stood up and has used her voice for good. But at the end of the day, these roles that she’s had or that she has sought are about impact.”

Maya Harris hugs then-Sen. Kamala Harris at the launch of her first presidential campaign in January 2019.Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

Though Maya didn’t exactly predict during childhood that Kamala might one day be within arm’s reach of the presidency, she’s not completely surprised.

“You see today, she’s a force,” Maya says. “She’s fearless, she’s relentless, she’s tough, she’s courageous. I mean, she really has been that way since we were kids. She’s never backed down from a challenge.”

Maya Harris (left) sits back to back with her older sister, Kamala Harris.Harris campaign

Maya knows that defeating former PresidentDonald Trumpin November will be an uphill battle, and she’s ready to fight on the front lines for her sister.

“We are sober about how much work we still have to do. Kamala is the underdog in this race. It is still a very, very close race,” Maya tells PEOPLE. “I am just so proud to be able to be out there in these states encouraging people to knock on every door, call every voter, text their friends and family members between now and Election Day, to really have those personal conversations that help people learn who Kamala is, what she’s fighting for, why they believe in her.”

Kamala Harris holds her younger sister, Maya.Harris campaign

With just five weeks untilElection Day, the Harris sisters may not have time for their usual rounds of board games and puzzles — “It keeps the mind sharp,” Maya explains — but they are content with what lies ahead.

“Being out on the campaign trail has been, I mean, extraordinary. It is electric,” Maya tells PEOPLE. “The enthusiasm is palpable.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.

Asked if Maya’s given more thought about how she would address her sister if Kamala wins the election —a dilemma she jokingly brought up in an old viral video— Maya says, “Whenshe is elected president of the United States, I will call her Madam President… Until then, she is big sister Kamala.”

source: people.com