Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as first Black woman running mate

White House hopeful Joe Biden on Tuesday named Kamala Harris, a black US senator from California, as his choice for vice president, capping a months-long search for a Democratic partner to challenge President Donald Trump in November.

"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," Biden, 77, said on Twitter.

His team stated that the two Democrats will deliver remarks on Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware as they kick off their campaign to defeat the Republican Trump.

Harris’ appointment marks just the third time in history a woman has been chosen as a running mate on a major party presidential ticket, and is the first time a Black woman is elevated to the role.

Harris and Biden plan to deliver remarks Wednesday in Wilmington.

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In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. Harris, a 55-year-old first-term senator, is also one of the party’s most prominent figures and quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended.

Harris, who is a Jamaican-Indian American, joins Biden in the 2020 race at a moment of unprecedented national crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people in the US, far more than the toll experienced in other countries. Business closures and disruptions resulting from the pandemic have caused an economic collapse. Unrest, meanwhile, has emerged across the country as Americans protest racism and police brutality.

Trump’s uneven handling of the crises has given Biden an opening, and he enters the fall campaign in strong position against the president. In adding Harris to the ticket, he can point to her relatively centrist record on issues such as health care and her background in law enforcement in the nation’s largest state.

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