Washington : Joe Biden, former American vice president and presidential candidate in upcoming 2020 US election, picked on Indian-origin senator, Kamala Harris, as his running mate. Kamala is the first woman of color and first person of Indian descent to be nominated for the central position on a major party ticket.
Given the post-George Floyd atmosphere, Biden’s supporters are of the view that Kamala could reinforce Biden’s appeal with Black voters and women. She is only the fourth woman in US history to be chosen for a presidential ticket for a major political party.
Who is Kamala Harris ?
Kamala Harris was born in 1964 to a Jamaican father and an Indian Tamil mother and was largely raised in California, where she went on to become the senator. She has also served as the state’s attorney general and before that, the district attorney in San Francisco.
Talking Points : Kamala Harris is one among the most popular Black women in American politics, with appeal to both moderates and liberals.Most significantly, she lately emerged as a vocal supporter of Biden and a campaigner of racial-justice legislation post the killing of George Floyd in May.
Signature issues : Kamala had pushed a Senate bill to make lynching a federal crime; proposed cutting middle-class taxes and also played a high-profile role in confirmation hearings of Justice Bret M Kavanaugh.
Biden explains choice : Joe Biden, who is set to face President Trump in the election on 3 November, tweeted that he had “the great honour” to name Kamala Harris as his number two and described her as a “fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the county’s finest public servants.” He explained the selection saying how he noted her efforts in close association with his late son, Beau, when she was attorney general. “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.”
