Wisconsin
Who is Kamala Harris and what is her connection to Wisconsin? Vice president’s age, ethnicity, parents
President Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris in heated presidential race
President Joe Biden has endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to become the Democratic nominee for president.
Vice President Kamala Harris is on track to become the new Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden on Sunday announced his decision to drop out of the race.
Harris plans to visit Milwaukee Tuesday, the state’s largest, blue city that will be critical to her campaign. But Harris also has ties to Madison, also a crucial hub of Democratic voters.
Here’s what to know about Harris’ ties to Wisconsin.
Did Kamala Harris grow up in Wisconsin?
From the ages of 3 to 5, Harris lived on the west side of Madison, before leaving in 1970. Harris visited her childhood home when she campaigned in Madison in March.
At that event, Harris said the home had been renovated from the “cabin” it was when she had lived there, and stood with the current homeowner on the back patio overlooking Lake Mendota.
“I don’t remember the house as much as I remember the path down to the lake,” she told reporters. “Welcome to my Madison roots.”
Harris told the crowd at the campaign event that the thing she remembered most was Lake Mendota.
“So I do feel a very strong personal connection, and I’m very happy to be here with all of you doing the work we’re going to do together,” Harris said.
More: Kamala Harris rallies voters, and works in a visit to her childhood home, in return to Madison
Kamala Harris was born in California, but considers herself a Madison native
In 2018, Harris joined Sen. Tammy Baldwin at a rally in the state’s capital where she told the crowd she was a Madison “native,” Madison365 reported.
“Little-known fact: I lived in Madison,” Harris said. She added the rally was “kinda personal” for her.
Harris was born in Oakland, California. She also lived in Illinois before her few years living in Madison.
Did Kamala Harris’ parents work at UW-Madison?
Both of Harris’ parents worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during her childhood.
At the time, her father, Donald Harris, was an associate professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, worked as a breast cancer researcher in the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research.
In her autobiography, “The Truths We Hold,” Harris cited the move to Madison as the reason for her parents’ separation.
More: Kamala Harris won’t get her moment in Milwaukee — but her roots are deeper in the state than some realize
Where did Kamala Harris go to school?
While she has connections to Madison, Harris is not a Badger.
Kamala Harris studied political science and economics at Howard University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1986. She earned a law degree in 1989 from the University of California, Berkeley Hastings College of Law.
What is Kamala Harris’ ethnic background?
Her father was born in Jamaica and her mother was born in India. Harris is the first woman and the first African American and the first person of South Asian descent to be vice president.
How old is Kamala Harris?
Harris, born on Oct. 20, 1964, is 59 years old.
USA TODAY and Lawrence Andrea of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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