‘Ready to win.’ VP Kamala Harris taps Georgia man to be senior adviser on campaign

Vice President Kamala Harris has picked a Columbus man to serve as senior adviser for her presidential campaign.

Carver High School graduate Kamau Marshall was picked for the role less than a week after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, and Harris gained enough support from Democratic delegates to become the party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

Marshall was previously a senior adviser in the U.S. Department of Education after serving almost two years in the White House as the deputy assistant U.S. trade representative for media and public affairs.

The Carver High School alum was also the director of strategic communications for President Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020. He said working for Biden from the early days of the 2020 campaign and the administration was one the biggest honors of his life. He expressed pride in Biden’s administration over the last four years.

“President Biden’s track record of achievements is unparalleled in modern history,” Marshall told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Undoubtedly, he is one of the most extraordinary leaders of our time.”

Going forward, Marshall is excited and enthusiastic about joining the Harris campaign, he said.

“I’m here ready to win, ready to work,” Marshall said. “Just like I’ve done for President Biden, I will do the same thing for Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Importance of community

Marshall was born in Chicago and lived in multiple cities growing up, but spent much of his childhood in Columbus. He considers the Georgia city to be his hometown.

And midsize cities like Columbus will be important in the upcoming presidential election, Marshall said. While Columbus isn’t as small as people think it is, he said, it’s small enough to be tight knit. People talk to and listen to each other whether they have differing views or not.

Columbus shows how community plays a role, he said. Marshall “sneaks back” to Muscogee County as often as possible to cook seafood for his father, Gordon, and touch base with friends and family.

“I can honestly say my classmates there, church members, family and friends … all have my back,” Marshall said. “And what I’ve learned (from Columbus) is a deeper sense of community.”

The smaller Georgia cities like Columbus, Macon, Augusta, Albany and other others will play a key role in winning the state, he said. Atlanta, as the biggest city, is important, but the entire state of Georgia will play a role.

“I think a lot of folks saw that in 2020 surprisingly,” Marshall said. “And it was way better than what folks expected. Cities like Columbus will be taken seriously.”

Marshall’s presence in Harris’ campaign will help the campaign reach younger, Black and male voices Rep. Jasmine Crockett told ABC News about his appointment as a senior adviser.

Listening to people of all generations and backgrounds will be important to earn their votes during the campaign, he said.

“I think the biggest thing is hearing folks out and how we can unify,” Marshall said. “So we can come together and support Vice President Harris.”

‘Persistent’ organizer

Marshall’s father, Gordon, is a retired Presbyterian minister living in Columbus. Gordon and the rest of their extended family found out about Marshall’s new role as a senior adviser to Harris’ campaign in a group text message.

He then proceeded to get on the phone with Marshall’s other family members, spreading the news and talking about how proud they were of him.

Marshall has always been an organizer, Gordon said.

He organized with other kids to sell M&M candy to purchase instruments for a drum set. Marshall’s school marching band had never participated in the Christmas parade before, Gordon said, but his son stepped in to organize this, as well.

“The band director said Kamau just took over,” Gordon said. “He was being persistent.”

Marshall attended Rothschild Middle School before graduating from Carver. While in high school, he was a member of multiple clubs. But it wasn’t until attending Texas Southern University that Marshall began to get involved in politics, working on the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s campaign.

Marshall credits his father’s work as a minister for teaching him to value being a communicator and an organizer. Gordon feels his son’s success is a testament to growing up in a community that valued service and understands what it means to be a citizen of this country.

“He understands that it’s not about success,” Gordon said. “It’s about doing something significant. And I can think of anything more significant than what he’s doing with President Biden and Vice President Harris.”