Kamala Harris, 55, has served as a California senator since 2017.
Just ahead of a socially distant Democractic National Convention, presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden has selected Kamala Harris Tuesday afternoon as his running mate. Harris, 55, has served as a California senator since 2017.
"You make a lot of important decisions as president. But the first one is who you select to be your Vice President," Biden said in a statement Tuesday. "I’ve decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Donald Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021."
Before she was chosen by Biden to be his running mate, Harris was his competitor for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"I need someone working alongside me who is smart, tough, and ready to lead. Kamala is that person," Biden added. "I need someone who understands the pain that so many people in our nation are suffering. Whether they’ve lost their job, their business, a loved one to this virus."
Biden, 77, added that “I need someone who understands that we are in a battle for the soul of this nation. And that if we’re going to get through these crises — we need to come together and unite for a better America. Kamala gets that."
Biden, the vice president under former president Barack Obama, tweeted the news after his statement was released to supporters.
“Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau," Biden said, referring to 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.”
Of the news that she was running alongside Biden, Harris tweeted: “Black women and women of color have long been underrepresented in elected office and in November we have an opportunity to change that. Let's get to work.”
"@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us," she wrote. "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."
The pair will take on President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence this November in the general election.
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