tentenPresidential candidate Joe Biden has selected California Senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate for the 2020 election.
Joe Biden had committed to choosing a woman as his running mate during the March 15 Democratic Party presidential debates. Both he and Senator Bernie Sanders had been asked about women running mates to which Biden responded, “I commit that I will in fact pick a woman to be vice president.”
I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 11, 2020
“Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau [Biden],” Biden said in a tweet. “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.”
There was speculation that the search for a running mate had come down to Harris and Senator Elizabeth Warren. According to CNN, Biden personally reached out to Warren to inform her that she would not be selected.
Upon Biden’s announcement, Harris received an endorsement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“Joe Biden choosing Senator Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for Vice President marks an historic and proud moment in our country’s history,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As the Vice President of the United States, Harris will continue her legacy of trailblazing leadership to move our nation forward.”
.@JoeBiden’s naming of Sen. @KamalaHarris Harris as the Democratic nominee for Vice President marks an historic and proud milestone for our country. As Vice President, Senator Harris will continue her legacy of trailblazing leadership to move our nation forward.
My statement 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/XdOZK9be6a
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) August 11, 2020
After Biden’s announcement, the Trump campaign released a statement calling Harris “phony” and Biden an “empty shell.”
“Not long ago, Kamala Harris called Joe Biden a racist and asked for an apology she never received,” Katrina Pierson, the Trump 2020 senior advisor said. “Clearly, Phony Kamala will abandon her own morals, as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat Party. ”
Harris has been a member of the U.S. Senate since 2016 and served as California Attorney General before that.