Book notes: 107 Days by Kamala Harris

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107 Days by Kamala Harris

Date read / Format:

February 2026 | Audiobook

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Synopsis:

107 Days is Kamala Harris’s firsthand account of her historic 107-day presidential campaign — from the moment Joe Biden stepped aside on July 21, 2024, to Election Day on November 5. Drawing on personal journals, conversations with her inner circle, and her own memories, Harris pulls back the curtain on VP selection, debate preparation, intra-party tensions, and the deeply personal moments that defined her run as the first woman of color to lead a major party presidential ticket

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Opening thoughts:

I’ve read Kamala’s first book, The Truths We Hold, and I do like to read the occasional political biography from public figures like politicians. I was following along when she was doing her book tour around the time this book came out — going on various podcasts — so I was definitely intrigued to hear her side of the story of how the 2024 election went.

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My notes:

• Joe finally asked Kamala her thoughts about him dropping out and her jumping into the race
• She had to respond to the aftermath of Joe Biden’s debate performance against Trump, which was a disaster
• She knew she had to rely on her team to do what they do best so she could be fully focused during the campaign — meeting thousands of people per day and finding the right positioning
• Kamala expressed how she and her team would never disparage Joe, even when his staff was disparaging her behind her back
  • They also ran Joe ragged and didn’t acknowledge that he performed poorly when tired — as someone his age would after long, grueling days
• There were many points where the people around Biden didn’t like it when Kamala shined, as it made him look bad
• Her number one pick for VP was Mayor Pete Buttigieg, but she knew it would be asking a lot from Americans
• She was gaining momentum after her first official campaign rally
• When running for a higher office like this, you have to expect and get used to all of the inhumane attacks — even ones against your family and your heritage, like what Trump supporters and his team did against her
• She was ready to debate Trump, but he was walking back on their previous agreement and trying to change the conditions
• She interviewed her VP candidates, and Tim Walz was by far the best choice in all aspects to complement her
• Even during an election year, her duties dealing with international crises and helping the president make the best decisions were always on her plate
• She always had a bad feeling about Elon Musk and saw his shift to the right and his growing support of Trump
• Working with successful companies that cared about their employees was a priority — making sure childcare and paid leave were accessible helped worker productivity and was a win-win for companies and workers alike
  • It wasn’t socialism, it was capitalism
• The DNC program was running behind, and Joe’s speech started an hour and 30 minutes later than expected
  • By the end of the one-hour speech, he finally gave Kamala his endorsement
• Doug Emhoff practiced and refined his speech so that people could get to know the most important aspects about Kamala
• Tim Walz gave a fantastic speech that left everyone emotional
• During her nomination speech, she channeled the love from her family and friends who supported and shaped her into the person she is today
• Her first official interview as the top of the ticket was not her best
• Racist and sexist attacks were not new nor unexpected
• Despite the world having sick and deranged people, only the United States has a gun problem — showcased by 83+ school shootings in 2024
• Debate prep against Donald Trump was brutal, but it did a great job preparing her
• Joe gave Kamala a very strange and unnecessary phone call before the debate
  • During the debate, she opened by extending a handshake to Trump and introducing herself — as they had never been formally introduced
• She honestly had no idea how she did in the debate, but Doug was smiling at her when she got off stage — so she figured she must’ve done OK
• While attending 9/11 memorial services, she was subjected to harsh and unfounded animosity
• Kamala called Trump to wish him well following his assassination attempt
  • She had heard he had a charming and warm side one-on-one — which surprised her to experience — but she realized it was part of his act as a con man: projecting different versions of himself in different situations while lacking integrity
• Despite the massive hurricane relief efforts from federal, state, and local government, whether people felt they did a good job split exactly across party lines — people made it a political matter and spun their own narratives
• One misstep during her campaign was not delivering her prepared remarks on The View, where she had planned to draw a clear separation from Joe
  • Republicans later ran that clip on repeat in campaign ads to tie her to an unpopular president
• During the campaign, Republicans funded a lot of anti-trans and hateful ads that spewed dangerous rhetoric toward the trans community
• She agreed to do an interview on Fox News, but was disappointed — the interviewer kept interrupting her and proved himself to be placating the MAGA base rather than conducting a fair conversation
• On her birthday, she and Doug had an argument — but then realized they needed to not turn on each other and protect one another during the campaign
• Kamala gave the inside scoop on how the Joe Rogan podcast didn’t work out — his team was difficult to schedule with and told lies and misleading truths about the conflict
• She was a fervent supporter of protecting women’s health, especially against abortion bans that denied essential care to women
  • Beyoncé also wanted to speak and show her support for Kamala
• Six days before the election, Joe Biden had a gaffe where people misinterpreted what he said as calling Trump supporters trash — and Kamala had to step in to correct the misunderstanding
• Election Night ended in tragedy, as they knew there wasn’t a path to victory
• On certification day, fulfilling her responsibilities as VP and reading the election results aloud in front of Congress — while staying poised — was one of the most difficult things she has ever done

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Closing thoughts:

As expected, I really enjoyed this one. As with most political biographies, I found myself stopping the book so I could go back to YouTube and watch the speeches being referenced — placing each experience in time and adding more context and color to what I was reading. It’s also pretty incredible to have lived through and been aware of these key moments in American history, and then experience them again from her perspective

Overall, really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for anyone interested in politics and biographies of accomplished people. Often with political figures, we only see the side that the media portrays — so I think it’s always worthwhile to also get their personal perspective told through their memoirs

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One takeaway:

While I don’t have a concrete takeaway directly from my notes, my general takeaway is that it’s important to get as many sides of the story as possible — because Kamala’s account proves that we don’t always get the full truth from just watching the news or following our social media algorithms. There was a lot of backstory and nuance to each situation that was very insightful to hear. And I can now understand why many Americans can have misconceptions about her if they don’t take the time to really understand where she’s coming from — and instead rely on media outlets to tell them what to think

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Nutshell:

107 Days is Kamala Harris’s candid account of her historic 107-day sprint as the Democratic presidential nominee — one of the most unprecedented campaigns in modern American history. She offers a firsthand perspective on everything from VP selection to debate night, giving readers the full context and nuance behind moments that were often misrepresented or oversimplified in the news cycle

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Similar books:

• The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris
• Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg
• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• A Promised Land by Barack Obama
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

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Rating:

4/5

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