Joe Biden, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, chose Senator Kamala Harris of California as his presidential running mate Tuesday after months of speculation and a dozen names circulating for potential vice presidential candidates.
“I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris – a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants – as my running mate,” Biden tweeted.
Harris, who began her own presidential campaign in January 2019 and dropped out early in December 2019, was one of the first named as a potential VP. His selection makes Harris the first Black VP candidate and third woman to be nominated in any major party.
“@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals. I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief,” Harris tweeted following Biden’s announcement.
Harris endorsed Biden in March, despite a clash between the two during a Democratic primary debate last year. Harris critiqued Biden’s history concerning issue of race, including the desegregation of schools and buses. Biden said in the debate that he felt Harris made a mischaracterization of his position. Though Biden told CNN after the debate that he didn’t expect the comment from Harris, it seems there are no hard feelings.
Harris also has a long relationship with the Biden family. She was close to Biden’s late son Beau as she served as California Attorney General and he as Delaware Attorney General, Biden mentioned in a tweet.
Before being elected as a U.S. Senator, Harris served as a prosecutor for 26 years, a role that has raised concern about support from more liberal voters surrounding her handling of incarceration and criminal justice. While Harris has classified herself as a progressive prosecutor, some have criticized her for not being progressive enough.
Harris has established a reputation for asking tough questions during her experience on the confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh and William Barr. Harris came into the spotlight during the Senate Hearing, asking Kavanaugh question regarding whether he would be willing to authorize an FBI investigation and other aspects of the sexual assault allegations made against him, with persistence.
As a prosecutor and U.S. Senator, Harris has supported the Affordable Care Act, criminal justice reform and climate justice. She has supported raising the minimum wage to $15 and protecting the rights of refugees and immigrants. Harris also became a member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, which addressed the concerns over Russia’s involvement in the election of President Donald Trump.
Harris has also fought for issues concerning race. In wake of Black Lives Matter protests sparked largely by the death of George Floyd, Harris has voiced her support for the movement.
“We are part of a movement that started a long time ago and this movement will not be deterred,” Harris stated in June during the Senate Democratic Press Briefing on Police Reform. “This movement will not accept anything less than real, real substantial, substantive, solutions, which are the solutions we’ve offered in our Justice in Policing Bill.”
With Harris as his running mate, Biden is sticking to his commitment to build a diverse team, representative of the United States’ population, a claim he made at the last Democratic Debate.
This story was written by Amanda Parrish. She can be reached at [email protected].
