Kamala Harris Named as Joe Biden’s Running Mate

Kamala Harris has been named as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate.

The California senator of Indian-Jamaican heritage is the first black woman and South Asian American in the role.

Once a rival for the top job, Kamala Harris had long been considered the front-runner for the vice-president.

The former California attorney general has been urging police reform amid nationwide anti-racism protests.

Joe Biden will face President Donald Trump in the election on November 3.

After August 11 announcement, Kamala Harris tweeted that Joe Biden “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.”

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On August 12, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will deliver remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, on “working together to restore the soul of the nation and fight for working families to move the country forward”, the Biden campaign said.

At a White House news conference on August 11, President Donald Trump, a Republican, said he was pleased with Joe Biden’s choice, adding that Kamala Harris did “very, very poorly” in her effort to become the Democratic nominee.

Kamala Harris will take part in a debate with President Trump’s running mate, Vice-President Mike Pence, on October 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In last year’s race to be the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris showed herself to be a forceful speaker, launching blistering attacks on Donald Trump.

The role of a vice-presidential running mate isn’t always clearly defined.

One of the traditional roles is to go on the offensive in exposing the opposition’s weaknesses, while the presidential nominee focuses on communicating the party’s message.

Constitutionally, the vice-president steps in to the top job should the president die or leave office during his or her term.

Joe Biden will turn 78 in November, meaning should he be elected he will be the oldest US president in history (Ronald Reagan was 77 when he left office).

His age means Joe Biden’s vice-presidential choice may come under extra scrutiny.

Kamala Harris, 55, dropped out of the presidential race in December after failing to make headway in her bid to win the Democratic nomination.

She repeatedly clashed with Joe Biden during the primary election debates, most notably criticizing his praise for the “civil” working relationship he had with former senators who favored racial segregation.

Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, to two immigrant parents: an Indian-born mother and Jamaican-born father.

She went on to attend Howard University, one of the nation’s preeminent historically black colleges and universities. She has described her time there as among the most formative experiences of her life.

Kamala Harris says she’s always been comfortable with her identity and simply describes herself as “an American”.

Only two other women have been nominated as vice-presidential candidates for a major party – Sarah Palin by the Republican party in 2008 and Geraldine Ferraro by the Democrats in 1984. Neither were on the winning ticket.

A woman of color has never been appointed to a presidential ticket by either of the two main American political parties. No woman has won the US presidency either.

Joe Biden tweeted that he had “the great honor” to name Kamala Harris as his number two.

He described her as “a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants”.

Joe Biden pledged in March to name a woman on the ticket. He had faced mounting calls to pick a black woman in recent months as the nation has been convulsed by social unrest over police brutality against African Americans, a key voting bloc for the Democratic Party.