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WASHINGTON. — Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he selected Senator Kamala Harris of California, a former 2020 primary rival, as his vice presidential pick after a months-long search for a running mate to help him take on President Donald Trump.
Harris, whose national profile grew during her run for president in 2019, had been considered a top contender for the role since Biden launched his search and vetting process in late April.
Biden committed to naming a female running mate and was urged by many allies to choose a Black woman.
Biden and Harris were yesterday scheduled to appear together at an event in Wilmington, Delaware.
“Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau,” Biden said, referring to Harris’ work with his late son. “I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.”
Harris, 55, becomes the first black female vice presidential nominee and the third woman to be named as a running mate of a major political party.
If Biden wins in November, Harris would make history as the first female, first African American and first Indian American vice president.
Biden and Harris memorably clashed last summer during one of the Democratic presidential primary debates where she challenged the former vice president’s record on race, specifically on bussing as a way to desegregate schools in the 1970s.
But Harris dropped out of the crowded primary in December amid sinking poll numbers. She endorsed Biden in early March days after Super Tuesday and his long streak of primary wins and has since helped him campaign and fundraise virtually.
Before entering federal government, Harris was a long-time prosecutor, previously serving as district attorney of San Francisco and later attorney general of California.
In 2016, she was elected to the Senate where she frequently made headlines for grilling Trump’s Cabinet nominees during confirmation hearings.
In response to Biden’s pick, the Trump campaign released a statement highlighting Biden and Harris’ former debate clash and likened the California senator to Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont’s agenda.
“In her failed attempt at running for president, Kamala Harris gleefully embraced the left’s radical manifesto, calling for trillions of dollars in new taxes and backing Bernie Sanders’ government takeover of healthcare,” Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson said.
“She is proof that Joe Biden is an empty shell being filled with the extreme agenda of the radicals on the left.”
Harris was one of a few former primary competitors who Biden considered for his running mate, including Sen Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who eventually withdrew herself from consideration and urged Biden to choose a woman of colour.
Other potential contenders who were vetted included former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, Rep Karen Bass of California, Rep Val Demings of Florida, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Sen Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. — AP.
Online Reporter