How to pronounce the new Democratic presidential frontrunner's name

Democrats are falling in line to support Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's next presidential nominee after Joe Biden dropped out of the race Sunday.

It means you will hear her name said more, pronounced correctly and incorrectly. Despite decades in the public spotlight, mispronunciations of the vice president's name have not gone away. Whether by mistake or design, several of her political opponents at the Republican National Convention last week called her "Camel-a," "Kuh-MAHL-a," or "Kuh-MEL-a" — none of which are correct.

More: Live updates: Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump upends the 2024 race for president

How do you pronounce Kamala?

It's "COM-mah-la," with emphasis on the first syllable. When pronounced correctly, the vice president's name sounds like comma-la.

Kamala is a Sanskrit word meaning "lotus," a flower with significance in Indian culture, Harris has explained several times over the years. Harris, 59, was born in Oakland, California in 1964 to an Indian mother and Jamaican father. If she is elected, she will become the country's first woman and first person of South East Asian descent to become president.

While running to represent California in the Senate in 2016, she released a campaign ad showing it's not that hard. The 20-second video showcases kids correcting mispronunciations of her name.

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The VP's political opponents can't seem to pronounce it

More than 10 speakers mispronounced the vice president's name at the RNC last week, including congressional Republicans. New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Texas Rep. Monica De La Cruz all struggled to say her name correctly.

Sen. David Perdue, R-GA., faced backlash after appearing to intentionally mangle Harris' first name on stage at a Donald Trump rally in 2020. Harris' spokesperson at the time, Sabrina Singh, called the moment "incredibly racist." Perdue had served in the Senate with Harris for about three years and sat with her on the budget committee, when he mispronounced her name. His spokesperson insisted the senator "didn't mean anything by it."

Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @rachelbarber_

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to pronounce Kamala Harris, and what her name means