She could be the missing piece to help topple Donald Trump on Election Day
by Rob Taylor Jr.
Courier Staff Writer
It could have been Susan Rice, the former national security adviser.
It could have been Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, or California Congresswoman Karen Bass.
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth was up for consideration, too, as was Florida Congresswoman Val Demings.
But in the end, it was Kamala Harris.
A name known to many, thanks to her recent presidential bid, Harris, the California Senator, was Joe Biden’s pick to be his running mate as he looks to oust Republican Donald Trump out of the White House.
“I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked Kamala Harris—a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants—as my running mate,” Biden, the presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee, wrote on Twitter, late Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 11, the tweet all of the political world had been waiting for. “Back when Kamala was (California) Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau (Biden, Joe Biden’s 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 is in the record books as the first Black woman to be named to an American political party’s president/vice-president ticket. If Biden defeats President Trump in the upcoming November election, Harris would become the first woman vice president in American history.
In the world of politics, a candidate is sure to have negative things said about them. President Trump’s campaign, upon hearing the news, texted supporters: “Biden picks Phony Kamala for VP! He isn’t smart enough to see her lies.”
But otherwise, it’s been nothing but praise given to Harris. Former president Barack Obama, the country’s first Black president, said that with Biden choosing Harris, he “nailed this decision.” Obama added: “I’ve known Senator Harris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake.”
Representative Demings said of Harris: “To see a Black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms my faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from.”
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Biden’s prime contender in the race earlier this year for the Democratic presidential nomination, said Harris “will make history as our next vice president. She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history. Let’s get to work and win.”
Harris was born in 1964 in Oakland, Calif., to an Indian mother and Jamaican father. She graduated from an HBCU, Howard University, and the University of California law school. She was named San Francisco District Attorney in 2003, a position she held until 2011, when she was elected California Attorney General, a position similar to Josh Shapiro’s current title in Pennsylvania.
Harris was re-elected to the California Attorney General position in 2014, and in 2016, was elected to the Senate from California. She is only the second African American female senator in U.S. history.
And in a matter of months, she could make even more history. November 3, 2020, aka Election Day, has become that much more significant.
“I know a thing or two about being vice president,” Biden said, Aug. 11, in an email to supporters. “More than anything, I know it can’t be a political decision. It has to be a governing decision. If the people of this nation entrust me and Kamala with the office of President and Vice President for the next four years, we’re going to inherit a nation in crisis, a nation divided, and a world in disarray. We won’t have a minute to waste. That’s what led me to Kamala Harris.”
PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE JOE BIDEN selected California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate on Tuesday, Aug. 11, after weeks of anticipation. Harris
becomes the first African American female VP nominee in U.S. history. (Photo by Cydni Elledge/Michigan Chronicle)
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