Democrats are lining up to back Vice President Kamala Harris as the new challenger for the White House.

Harris is the first female and first African American and Asian American Vice President of the United States. She is married to Douglas Emhoff, a Jewish American lawyer.

As a daughter of immigrant parents, Harris was raised with both Baptist and Hindu influences.

Young Kamala and her sister Maya were frequently taken to Oakland’s 23rd Avenue Church of God by a downstairs neighbour, Regina Shelton. Harris told Interfaith Youth Core: “I sang in the children’s choir. That’s where I formed some of my earliest memories of the Bible’s teachings. It’s where I learned that "faith" is a verb and that we must live it, and show it, in action.”

Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in southern India. Her Hindu faith meant Kamala’s childhood involved regular visits to the temple.

Married to Jewish lawyer, Douglas Emhoff, Harris has also embraced Jewish customs. America Magazine reports that the couple smashed a glass at their wedding reception, and celebrate Jewish festivals.

Alongside her multifaith involvement, it seems Kamala has not forgotten her Baptist roots. When speaking at a church in 2019, Harris said: "Jesus tells us how we should define 'neighbour'.

"Jesus tells us, your neighbour is not just the person who lives next door, who drives the kind of car you drive, the person shares your zip code. Jesus tells us your neighbour is that man by the side of the road who you walk by, who has faced hardship. They may be one of those people who has an opioid or a drug addiction, maybe one of those people who has fled one of the ‘murder captials’ of the world to seek refuge in this country."

Harris was sworn into the Senate on a family Bible, which she described as “well-worn.”  Joe Biden, who was then vice president, reportedly replied, “All right, that’s a good way to do it.”