Harris is 1st major democrat seeking California US Senate seat

California Attorney General Kamala Harris plans to become the first prominent Democrat to enter what’s expected to be a full field in the 2016 race to replace Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate.

Harris plans to announce the move Tuesday morning. That’s according to an adviser not authorized to discuss her plans who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The 50-year-old Harris is a personal friend of President Barack Obama and attracted national attention when she helped negotiate a settlement with major mortgage lenders and secured extra funding for California. She has been widely viewed as an eventual candidate for governor or U.S. senator.

The disclosure of her plans came just a few hours after a potential rival, California Lt. Governor and former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, said he would not run.