Call Me By My Name

What name do you use when you introduce yourself? First name? Nickname? First and last name? Personally, I’ve always preferred introducing myself with my first and last name, and avoiding the subject of a nickname all together. Yet, since my first name is Madeleine, people tend to assume that I liked to be called Maddie, but that name has never felt right to me. 

My own strong opinions on my name led me to wonder if other people had similar preferences about what they liked to be called, specifically figures whose names are used almost every day in conversation. So, I turned to the 2024 election and asked myself, why does Vice President Kamala Harris choose to refer to herself as “Kamala” during the election process? Research suggests that, in prior elections, female candidates in the United States have demonstrated expertise or dominance in races against male candidates (Durest-Lahti “Presidential Elections: Gendered Space and the Case of 2012”). However, Kamala Harris has elected to demonstrate neither of these qualities by choosing to go by her first name only instead of Vice President Harris in this election.

So why did Kamala choose to run by her first name? First of all, she believes that by using her first name in the election, she is creating a more steadfast connection with voters, particularly voters under the age of 30. According to Leah Daughtry, a Democratic operative and ally to Kamala Harris, in an interview for Politico, “It’s only fitting that this younger generation, which approaches names and formal titles differently than older generations, often refers to her as ‘Kamala.’” Harris is reaching younger audiences by using her first name because they remember her name and use it in day to day conversation more often. Also, as Daughtry pointed out, younger generations view names differently, and I know, personally, I feel more of an affinity towards someone when I call them by their first name. 

Continuously, one of Kamala Harris’ strategies for this election has been  to create connections with the people of the United States. April Rubin, in her article for Axios, claims, “When Harris goes by Kamala herself, it can project more approachability.” If Kamala is able to be approached by the citizens of the United States with questions, concerns, or critiques about her ability to run the country, or her decisions for this country, then she can answer their questions and dissuade their assumptions. She is showing that she is willing to represent and listen to the people of the United States. 

Also, by utilizing her first name in the election, Kamala Harris is creating a connection with the voters of the United States. By connecting with these people, she is demonstrating care and understanding for their situations. Her strategy is to show voters across the United States that she would listen to the people as president, so they can trust her. Similarly to how her first name connects her to voters, her first name, in general, makes her seem closer to all people of the United States. 

Furthermore, Kamala Harris has chosen to go by her first name because “Kamala” is more unique than the name “Harris,” which will help people remember her name more. In fact, with data from 2010, Harris is the 25th most common surname in the United States with about 624,252 entries of people with that last name. By having a more unique name, Kamala Harris will not be confused with other people and her actions won’t get blurred with theirs. Her ability to be a focal point in this country’s political race will help gain her support, according to Myah Ward in her article, “First-name basis: Harris is leaning into ‘Kamala’” for Politico. Also, Lateefah Simon, who worked with Harris at the San Francisco district attorney’s office, said in an interview for Politico, “I think she has a 98 percent name ID rate in this country now. Whether they pronounce it wrong or pronounce it right, everyone has to say Kamala.” With 98 percent of people in the United States recognizing her name, Kamala is able to spread her campaign farther around the country. Her name may reach undecided voters and after hearing her message, these people could possibly be persuaded to vote in support of Harris.

 In addition, by using her first name, Kamala Harris is demonstrating her heritage and ethnicity. Ward continues to say in her article, “Harris knows the weight her name carries for women, for communities of color.” Not only is Harris the second woman to be a major-party candidate in the presidential election, but she is the first woman of color to be running for president as a major-party candidate. She wants to remind people of her ethnicity by using her first name, to demonstrate that she represents all of the people in the United States. 

Lateefa Simon also says in her interview, “Our last names don’t often tell the story of where we’re from and who we are.” Kamala Harris is telling the nation who she is and what her heritage is by using her first name. She is connecting with the people of the United States by telling them her story because, according to a different interview for Politico, “She’s reminding voters that she is in fact different,” which, as the person interviewed puts it later, “may be really resonating.” The fact that she is different from past presidents could bring the change in the nation that many groups of people wish to see. Kamala Harris has already been advocating for changes in women’s healthcare, specifically relating to abortion laws, and many women around the nation would support that change. No president in the history of this nation has had a name like “Kamala,” and she is reminding the nation of this fact. 

Finally, Kamala Harris has chosen to go by her first name because by branding herself with her first name, she is diminishing her opponent’s power to use her first name against her. Ward says in the same article, “Donald Trump, who pronounces Harris’ first name incorrectly…often calls her ‘crazy Kamala’.” Her republican opponent, Donald Trump, has tried to undermine Kamala Harris by mispronouncing her first name and branding her as an individual unfit to lead this country. Daughtry has labeled Trump’s actions as “a microaggression and a disrespect.” Kamala recognized Trump’s motives in trying to disrespect her, so in response, she has taken her power back and regained respect in this nation by using her first name to connect with audiences around the nation, showing that she represents all the people of the country, not just those who identify as white individuals. Daughtry says that for Kamala, “This is what my name is, call me by my name.” Kamala has a preference for how she wants to be referred to, and we should respect her by using the name she wants us to and pronouncing it how it should be said. Because by not pronouncing her name how it should be said “is a way to ‘other’ her” according to professor of psychology at University of Michigan Myles Durkee in an interview for NPR in the article “How to say ‘Kamala’ — and why it makes a difference,” by Deepa Shivaram. 

Vice President Kamala Harris chose to be called Kamala in her campaign for the 2024 election. She uses her name to connect with her audiences around the nation, to show her differences and unique attributes, and to defy those who wish to diminish her. A name holds much power over our respect for an individual, therefore we must be conscious of how we refer to people, both in our political decisions and in our daily lives.