ELECTION 2020: Joe Biden And Kamala Harris Host First Campaign Event
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020 - Newly announced Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris joined presumptive nominee Joe Biden Wednesday (Aug. 12) in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware in their first appearance together as a unified campaign ticket. In the joint speech, which was delayed for about an hour due to a power outage, and took place without an audience, the political team discussed the hope they have for the country under their administration and challenged President Trump’s record on the coronavirus pandemic and the economy.
“This is a moment of real consequence for america. Everything we care about. Our economy our health, the kind of country we live in, it’s all on the line,” said the California senator, who several months ago had been Biden’s rival in the early days of the campaign. She will now be a critical part of Biden’s strategy to unseat Trump in the November election and will likely take on Vice President Mike Pence in a debate, although a date for that has not yet been set.
She had praise for Biden's decision to include her on the Democratic ticket, as she fills the role that many in political arenas had wondered about for months.
"Today he takes his place in the ongoing story of America's march toward equality and justice...as the only who has served alongside the first Black president and has chosen the first Black woman as his running mate," said Harris.
Biden, who was carried toward the nomination largely by the African American vote, also praised Sen. Harris in introducing her as someone who is ready to get right to work.
He said that American’s “need someone on their side in this nation, because they certainly don’t have that now on their side. That’s going to change in a Biden/Harris administration. It’s going to be gratifying to see the strong enthusiastic reaction to Senator Harris as our next vice-president.”
He also highlighted what it means to women and girls of color to see someone in her position just a step from becoming Vice President of the United States.
"This morning, all across the nation," Biden said. "Little girls woke up, especially little Black and Brown girls who so often feel overlooked and undervalued in thier communities. But today, just maybe they're seeing themselves for the first time in a new way as the stuff of presidents and vice presidents."
After Biden’s historic announcement that Harris would be his running mate on Tuesday (Aug. 11), they are seeing early momentum and had the immediate support of former President Barack Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president.
“Joe Biden nailed this decision. By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America’s next vice president, he’s underscored his own judgment and character,” Obama said in a statement on Tuesday. ”Reality shows us that these attributes are not optional in a president. They're requirements of the job. And now Joe has an ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead.”
The campaign also received encouragement from Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice, who was also on Biden’s shortlist for vice presidential choices.
“Senator Harris is a tenacious and trailblazing leader who will make a great partner on the campaign trail," Rice said in a statement on Tuesday. "As I have said from the outset, I will do my utmost to assist Joe Biden to become the next president of the United States and to help him govern successfully."
The political team is also expected to appear Wednesday evening at a fundraiser, which will be held virtually.
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020 - In a new campaign video released ahead of their first appearance together, Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris says she is "ready to go to work."
Harris, whose selection as Joe Biden's running mate was announced on Tuesday (Aug 11), described her upbringing and her reasons for becoming an attorney and eventually entering the political field. She also said why she has joined Biden's team.
"He's a man of faith, decency and character," she said. "He raised his family that way. I saw it first hand with my good friend, Beau [Biden's late son]. As Joe says, we're in a battle for the soul of this nation.
Biden VP Pick: Kamala Harris, California Senator, Will Run On 2020 Democratic Ticket
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the 2020 presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States, has chosen California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. The formal nomination will take place during the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention next week.
Harris, who after a promising start, suspended her own campaign for the presidency in December 2019, was part of Biden’s short list of potential Black women nominees. The California Democrat has been the front-runner favorite of Biden’s possible picks for vice president, which also included former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and California Rep. Karen Bass.
As the former California state attorney and former San Francisco district attorney, Harris has a prosecutorial work history that often forced her to defend her past decisions with law enforcement, especially to the Black community. In her role as a Senator, Harris has been a stalwart proponent for women, people of color, and children’s rights. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has pushed for the continuation of monthly stipends to ensure working class families maintain a lifestyle with basic necessities like food and shelter.
Standing in the shadow of Rep. Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress and to win the Democratic nomination for President, Harris will be a formidable partner to Biden, even though the two have previously bumped heads during the first Democratic debate in June 2019. Harris bombarded Biden with his past voting record on using busing as a way to desegregate schools and held his feet to the fire on his association with segregationist senators.
The two have since mended any rifts and must now prepare for what will likely be an epic battle against the designs of the GOP to ensure another four years of Trump as president. Harris, 55, is no stranger to Republican assaults and will not easily back down. She has blamed the President for a complete disregard and lack of leadership which have led to “disastrous results” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an Op/Ed for USAToday, Harris wrote: “Trump ignored early warnings, dismissed the seriousness of the threat, and attacked the advice of doctors and scientists. He refused to fully implement the Defense Production Act and failed to fully prepare our national stockpile of protective equipment, leaving a severe shortage of masks and gloves that front-line workers need to stay safe. As cases grew, he failed to institute a national plan for testing and contact tracing. He left state and local governments flailing without the resources they need.”
In an interview last month on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Harris expressed her thoughts about being considered for the VP spot.
“I’d be honored if asked, and I’m honored to be a part of the conversation,” she said. “But honestly, let me just tell you something: I will do everything in my power, wherever I am, to help Joe Biden win.”
Shortly after Biden's announcement, former President Barack Obama said that the former vice president "nailed this decision."
"By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America's next vice president, he's underscored his own judgement and character," Obama said in a statement.
