 "How Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs’ widow, has played a role in the rise of Kamala Harris")
United States Vice President Kamala Harris is eyeing to become the country’s first female president. A high-profile friendship is helping her to realise that goal.
Philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs has reportedly played a key role in propping up Harris as Democratic presidential nominee after US President Joe Biden’s disaster debate with Donald Trump. The duo have been friends for years.
Here’s a look at how Powell Jobs has a hand behind Harris’ rise.
Who is Laurene Powell Jobs?
Laurene Powell Jobs, 60, is the founder of Emerson Collective, a philanthropy and investment firm. Her collective is the majority owner of The Atlantic magazine.
Powell Jobs did her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. It was here in 1989 that she met Steve Jobs, the co-founder and former CEO of Apple.
The duo married in 1991 and had three children – Reed, Erin, and Eve.
She inherited Steve Jobs’ stake in Apple and Disney upon his death. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Powell Jobs’ current net worth is $11.5 billion, making her the wealthiest woman in Silicon Valley.
Harris and Powell’s friendship
Powell Jobs’ friendship with Harris is not new. As per a New York Times (NYT) report, the philanthropist has emerged as Harris’ “essential” confidante over the past two decades.
Not only has she provided funds and counsel to Harris but also helped boost the Democratic nominee’s public profile.
Powell Jobs has been funding Democratic politics for years. She and her collective have donated more than $3.4 million to Democratic nominees and other funds since 2020, Fortune reported citing the Federal Election Commission filings.
As per the NYT report, Harris’ bonhomie with Powell Jobs developed over shared political philosophy, a fascination for art and culture, and their “mutual trials” as women in public life.
In 2003, Powell Jobs donated $500 to Harris’ first run for San Francisco’s district attorney. Next year, they attended the March for Women’s Lives in Washington, DC, with other female leaders from the Bay Area.
When Biden swore in Harris as a Senator in January 2017, Powell Jobs was among the 59-year-old’s “extended family” to get a picture with the then-US Vice President.
As per the NYT report, Powell Jobs has organised several fundraisers for Harris, including many at her house. Last year, she made three donations to Harris’ campaign worth nearly $1 million.
“Laurene has a gift for friendship, especially old friends — she is tribally loyal. Kamala Harris falls within that ring of friends,” David Bradley, who sold The Atlantic magazine to Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective, told the American newspaper.
In 2017, when asked in an interview about running for the 2020 US presidency herself, Powell Jobs turned the spotlight on Harris.
Pointing to her friend who was sitting in the crowd at a tech conference, the billionaire said: “I vote for her”.
Is Laurene Powell behind Harris’ ascent?
Powell Jobs, who has connections to Silicon Valley, has placed her bets on her close friend, Harris. She has “quietly” given millions of dollars to an organisation backing Harris’ presidential bid, three people in the know of the matter told NYT.
In fact, the billionaire worked behind the curtain to push Biden out of the presidential race after his disastrous June debate. As per NYT, Powell Jobs expressed her concerns to major Democratic donors about the 81-year-old’s ability to defeat Trump.
When the US president insisted on staying in the contest, Harris reportedly looked at her options and turned to Powell Jobs for counsel, among others.
Soon, Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee as Biden exited the race. As per NYT, Powell Jobs has pulled her weight to encourage female technology leaders to publicly support Harris. She is also helping in getting funds for Harris’ campaign.
Several polls have put Harris ahead of Trump in the presidential race. If she wins, will Powell Jobs have a role in the Democrat’s administration?
Some say the billionaire will be an “insider” even if she does not hold a formal position.
“Laurene is one of a small number of philanthropists who has both made significant investments in educational innovation and is also actively engaged in Democratic politics,” Marc Porter Magee, an education-reform advocate, told NYT. “If Harris wins, she and her staff could emerge as important players in an administration that has yet to define its K-12 [Kindergarten to Class 12] agenda.”
With inputs from agencies
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