WASHINGTON: Democratic presid e n t i a l c a n d i d a t e Joe Biden has named Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. She is the first black woman to serve in the role, BBC News reported.Once a rival for the top job, the California senator of Indian- Jamaican heritage had long been considered the front-runner for the position. The former California attorney-general has been urging police reform amid anti-racism protests.
Vice-President Mike Pence remains the Republican incumbent’s running mate. Only two other women have been nominated as vice-presidential candidates - Sarah Palin by the Republican party in 2008 and Geraldine Ferraro by the Democrats in 1984. Neither made it to the White House. The California Democrat was born in Oakland, California, to two immigrant parents: an Indian-born mother and Jamaican-born father.
After her parent’s divorce, Ms Harris was raised primarily by her Hindu single mother, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist. She grew up engaged with her Indian heritage, joining her mother on visits to India, but Ms Harris has said that her mother adopted Oakland’s African-American culture, immersing her two daughters - Kamala and her younger sister Maya - within it. She went on to attend Howard University, one of the nation’s preeminent historically black colleges and universities, which she has described as among the most formative experiences of her life. Ms Harris says she’s always been comfortable with her identity and simply describes herself as “an American”. In 2019, she told the Washington Post that politicians should not have to fit into compartments because of their colour or background. “My point was: I am who I am. I’m good with it. You might need to figure it out, but I’m fine with it,” she said. A California Democrat with a law enforcement resume, Ms Harris tried to walk the fine line between the progressive and moderate wings of her party, but ended up appealing to neither, ending her candidacy in December before the first Democratic contest in Iowa in early 2020. In March, Ms Harris endorsed the former vice-president, saying she would do “everything in my power to help elect him the next President of the United States”.