Joe Biden, introducing Harris, says, 'I have no doubt that I picked the right person'
WILMINGTON, Del. -- Presidential candidate Joe Biden picked US Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday after weeks of speculation.
Several candidates were vetted by Biden’s team. Reported candidates include Susan Rice, Elizabeth Warren, Gretchen Whitmer, Karen Bass, Val Demings, Tammy Duckworth, Kaisha Lance Bottoms, Tammy Baldwin and Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Harris was an early candidate in the 2020 race for the White House. She dropped out of the race last December.
She then endorsed Biden.
Harris previously held the office of California Attorney General from 2011 to 2017. Before that she was the district attorney of San Francisco.
Harris is married to attorney Douglas Emhoff and has two step-children.
Biden served as vice president of the United States under President Barack Obama. Before that, he was a senator representing Delaware for 36 years.
After long-running speculation, Biden announced his candidacy for president on April 25. This was not the first time, however. This is Biden’s third try, running unsuccessfully in 1988 and 2008.
Biden is running on the promise to rebuild the middle class. He wants to repeal Trump’s tax cuts and push for a $15/hr. minimum wage.
Biden has also proposed a new education plan that would help low-income area schools, assist teachers with student loans and add more health professionals to schools.
A healthcare plan that would expand Obamacare subsidies was proposed by Biden last July. He said the plan would make private insurance policies available and more affordable. In addition, the plan would add a public option that people could buy into.
Both national conventions will be mostly virtual this year.
The Democratic convention is scheduled for four nights from August 17-20. Convention programming will air from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. CT.
Former first lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to speak at the opening of the convention. Others expected to speak include Barack Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Amy Klobachar, Sen. Chuck Schumer and many more.
The GOP convention – scheduled for Aug. 24 – 27 - has also been scaled back significantly. It will be a “business-only” convention with 336 delegates planning to attend.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are expected to be re-nominated at the GOP convention.
If Biden and his VP pick are nominated at the Democratic National Convention as expected, they will face Tump and Pence in the Nov. 3 election.