Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden named Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as his running mate on Tuesday, ending months of speculation over one of the most consequential decisions of his 2020 presidential bid.
Biden called Harris, a former rival in the Democratic primary, the best equipped to help him defeat President Trump and lead the nation through the coronavirus pandemic, economic downturn and racial divide.
Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent, would be the first woman to be vice president if Biden is elected.
"These aren’t normal times. For the first time in our history, we’re facing three historic crises — all at the same time. We’re facing the worst pandemic in 100 years. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The most powerful calls for racial justice in a generation. And we have a president who has both failed to lead on the virus — costing lives and decimating our economy — and fanned the flames of hate and division," Biden said in an email to supporters announcing the VP pick.
"I need someone working alongside me who is smart, tough, and ready to lead. Kamala is that person," he added.
Biden lauded Harris’s accomplishments, first as attorney general of California and later as a U.S. senator from the nation’s largest state. He called her “one of the toughest and most effective Senators on two of the most important committees" in the upper chamber — the Intelligence and Judiciary committees. Harris also sits on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee as well as the Budget Committee.
Biden praised Harris as a leader on criminal justice and marriage equality and said she has “focused like a laser” on racial disparities that have resulted from the pandemic.
Adding a personal touch, Biden said he first met Harris through his son Beau Biden, who died from brain cancer in 2015. At the time, Harris was attorney general of California and Beau was attorney general of Delaware.
“He had enormous respect for her and her work,” Biden said. “I thought a lot about that as I made this decision. There is no one’s opinion I valued more than Beau’s and I’m proud to have Kamala standing with me on this campaign.”
Read the full story at The Hill: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/510989-biden-picks-harris-for-vp?fbclid=IwAR0iWvxQcMFB37WGHzk-2mCHDp3sZiDOIvjkTV032I1i7RlH2CGELniuoes