Democratic presidential candidate Biden selects Kamala Harris as running mate
Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for the upcoming US presidential election, has chosen US senator Kamala Harris as his running mate for the ballot.
Harris will be Biden’s pick for vice president at the 3 November election. Earlier today Biden informed his close advisers of his decision, and began telling other contenders they had not been successful.
Biden, who served as vice president to former President Barack Obama, had pledged to select a woman as a running mate.
The move makes Harris the first African-American woman to be featured on a major US party’s presidential ticket.
Harris’ most significant political experience comes from her time as govenor of California, as she is only a few months into her term as senator.
She rose to prominence within the Democratic Party as a result of her interrogations of Trump nominees during US Senate hearings, from former attorney general Jeff Sessions to supreme court justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Biden’s shortlist had included a number of female politicians and leaders, namely Harris and former US national security adviser Susan Rice.
Other contenders included congresswomen Karen Bass and Val Demings, Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Georgia governor candidate Stacey Abrams.
Biden had faced pressure from Democrats to choose a Black candidate to run alongside him for control of the White House, following months of anti-racism protests across America.
Aimee Allison, founder of activist group She the People, told Reuters she thought it would have been politically “reckless” if Joe Biden did not choose a woman of colour.
“It’s the most important decision the Biden camp can make to set the tone for the last 80 or so days,” she said. “Picking a Black woman for the ticket is affirmation that we are included in the vision of governance.”
Biden and Harris will formally accept the party’s nomination at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Wisconsin, which is scheduled for 17 to 20 August.
If he defeats Trump, Joe Biden would be 78 years old on White House inauguration day next January, making him the oldest US president in history and adding to the possibility he may only seek one four-year term.