Kerry Washington: How About Kamala Harris For First Female President Of Color?

Actress Kerry Washington isn't sure the country is ready to elect a woman of color as president, but she has hope -- and a name to suggest. She thinks California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) would be a great choice.

As political fixer Olivia Pope on ABC’s hit “Scandal,” Washington has some experience with women running for president: Last season Pope was aiding the fictional former first lady's White House campaign.

In real life, the Emmy-nominated actress has been involved in politics for a number of years. She worked on then-Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential race, serves on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and has endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 contest.

At the United State of Women Summit on Tuesday, The Huffington Post asked Washington, "How close do you think America is to being ready for a president who is a woman of color?"

“Wow! I don’t know. We’re in a really challenging place as a country right now,” Washington said. “Some of the rhetoric around women, around immigrants, around people of color is breathtaking to me.”

“I think also there are a lot of us who are fighting for inclusivity and justice. I don’t know that it’s in the next term, but maybe,” she said.

Asked if there are any women she'd like to see aiming for the White House, Washington said, “Somebody that I’m a huge fan of, but she’s running for Senate right now, is Kamala Harris in California. I think she’s extraordinary. I do think she could be president one day.”

Harris came in first in the primary for California’s open Senate seat earlier this month. She will compete against fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez, a U.S. representative, during the general election in November.

Watch our full interview with Kerry Washington here.