Three decades ago, thanks to the patronage of legendary San Francisco politician Willie Brown, two young, ambitious politicians launched careers that have taken them into the upper strata of American politics.

As state Assembly speaker, Brown appointed Kamala Harris, with whom he had a personal relationship, to two well-paying state boards and in 1998, as mayor of San Francisco, helped her land a job in the district attorney’s office.

That career move led to her becoming district attorney in 2004, California attorney general six years later and a U.S. senator six years after that. After her four years in the Senate (and a failed 2020 presidential run) Joe Biden made her his vice presidential running mate in 2020 and, finally, endorsed her as his successor in 2024, only to see her lose to

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