US presidential aspirant Joe Biden has picked California senator Kamala Harris as his running mate ahead of the Tuesday, November 3, presidential election.
Kamala’s nomination ends months-long hunt for a prospective running mate for Biden who in March hinted on settling for a woman.
The California senator, who was born in the US by immigrant Jamaican and Indian parents, goes into history as the first woman of colour to be nominated for national office by a major political party.
Biden made the announcement in a statement on Tuesday, August 11, describing Kamala, a former attorney general, as “fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants”.
“Back when Kamala was attorney general, she worked closely with Beau. 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,” said Biden.
Kamala had earlier in 2019 expressed interest in the presidency and attacked Biden in Democratic primary debates where she suggested the former vice president was racist.
In her acceptance statement, she described Biden as a candidate set to “unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us”.
“And as president, he will build an America that lives up to our ideals. I’m honoured to join him as our party’s nominee for vice president and do what it takes to make him our commander-in-chief,” stated Kamala.
