Joe Biden has officially announced that Senator Kamala Harris would become his running mate for the November elections. Following the announcement, the two will be making their first joint appearance as presidential and vice-presidential candidates in Delaware.
BBC reports that Biden and Harris will be in Wilmington, Delaware on Wednesday. The former vice president is expected to formally introduce Harris as his running mate during the event. Harris will be going against vice president Mike Pence in the upcoming vice-presidential debate. Should the Biden-Harris ticket win the November elections against Donald Trump and Pence, the California Senator will become the first woman, first Black woman, and first Asian American woman to become vice president of the United States.
Biden made the announcement of his vice-presidential pick on Tuesday to his supporters on both text messages, email, and on Twitter. “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,” tweeted the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Biden has previously pledged to choose a woman to be his vice president and has faced enormous pressure over the past months to select a Black woman. This is in light of the Black Lives Matter movement protests that reignited following the death of George Floyd, another unarmed African American man, from police brutality. Even some of his own potential vice presidential picks have decided to withdraw being candidates in favor of choosing a Black woman to become the running mate.
Meanwhile, the United States continues to battle COVID-19 and is leading in both infections and death rates, with over five million Americans infected and over 160,000 dead. Biden released a statement via Medium when the cases in the country went past the five million mark. The former vice president expressed his sadness over the rising numbers, offering his condolences of the families who lost loved ones because of the pandemic while also criticizing Trump and his administration’s response.
“Each time the number clicks up, it represents a life altered, a family stricken with anxiety, a community on edge. And for the families of more than 160,000 souls who have died because of this virus, it is a pain that can never be undone,” wrote Biden.