Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) will endorse Deidre DeJear for Iowa secretary of state, sources with knowledge of the endorsement told POLITICO. | Alex Wong/Getty Images Kamala Harris to make first Iowa endorsement

Sen. Kamala Harris will make her first endorsement in an Iowa campaign on Friday, her first inroad into the first-in-the-nation caucus state, sources said.

Harris, a California Democrat edging closer to a run for president, will endorse Deidre DeJear for Iowa secretary of state, sources with knowledge of the endorsement told POLITICO.


Like many top Democrats, Harris has maintained a cautious distance from Iowa, leery of appearing solicitous of attention beyond the midterm elections. She is not expected to appear in Iowa for the endorsement announcement.

But her endorsement of DeJear was not unexpected. Harris’ out-of-California endorsements this year have focused on non-white candidates, including Stacey Abrams in Georgia and Jahana Hayes in Connecticut. DeJear is Iowa’s first black nominee for statewide office from a major political party, and Harris has been supportive since the two met at an event in Los Angeles in April.

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When DeJear won her primary election in June, Harris said on Twitter, “Congratulations to @DeidreDeJear on being the first black nominee for statewide office in Iowa! Black women have voted at a higher rate than other groups, yet are continually underrepresented in elected office. In 2018, we have a chance to buck that trend.”

DeJear, a businesswoman who worked on then-President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in Iowa in 2012, replied with a tweet calling Harris “a phenomenal role model to us all!”

DeJear, who was previously endorsed by the Bernie Sanders-aligned Our Revolution, narrowly defeated fellow Democrat Jim Mowrer in Iowa’s June primary. She is challenging Republican incumbent Paul Pate in November.