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Today, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announced that his running mate will be California Senator Kamala Harris.
“@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.
Harris is the first African American woman and first Asian American woman to run on a major party presidential ticket. She is the third woman to be nominated as vice president and would be first to hold the office if she and Biden win the Nov. 3 election.
Born in California, Harris is a first-generation American. Her mother emigrated from India and her father emigrated from Jamaica.
Before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Harris served as Attorney General of California. She was the first African American woman to hold that position after winning election in 2010 and was reelected in 2014. Prior to serving as California attorney general, Harris served as District Attorney of San Francisco.
“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.
The decision was finally made after months of deliberation. Monday, it was announced that Biden’s four-member committee in charge of screening potential running mates had been disbanded, a sign that the decision was near.
Last week, there was some speculation that Biden might select Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. That proved to not be the case, however, Whitmer is supportive.
“I am extraordinarily proud to support @KamalaHarris and @JoeBiden,” Whitmer tweeted.
Biden and Harris will share the Democratic ticket running against incumbent President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Harris ended her own 2020 presidential campaign in December, but had, at one point, been considered a top contender. Harris saw a rise in her poll numbers after confronting Biden about the integration of school bussing in a June 2019 debate.
(Editor’s note: This article was updated eight hours after its initial publication to include a quote from Harris, more biographical information regarding Harris and also to express the historic significance Harris being nominated as vice president.)
Contact Chris Devlin, author of this article and editor of The Commuter: ncccommuter@nullnorthampton.edu
