Oprah Hearts Kamala Harris

San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris has picked up a major vote of confidence in her run for California Attorney General: Oprah.

Oprah placed Harris on her 2010 O Power List, a directory of high-achieving women. "When Harris sees a problem, she figures out a creative solution, resolutely ignoring both received wisdom and polling figures," the article gushes. "Harris cares little if she's seen as 'tough on crime.' She'd rather be smart on crime." (Which just happens to be the title of Harris' 2009 book! What a coincidence.)

There's room for debate about exactly how smart on crime Harris really is. Although she has raised conviction rates overall in San Francisco, felony convictions are down, according to SF Weekly.

Oprah's nod of approval must be a welcome distraction for the Harris campaign, which was hit with criticism this week for taking donations from convicted Ponzi schemer Norman Hsu.

But although Harris certainly isn't immune to criticism, she's staked out a winning position on the freedom to marry. Her opponent, Steve Cooley, has said that he would defend Prop 8, the marriage ban, despite it having been found unconstitutional.

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