Joe Biden announced California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday as other politicians and strategists on both sides weighed in on the decision.
President Trump spoke at the White House Tuesday saying "she was my No. 1 pick."
Other former politicians like former President Barack Obama joined in on congratulating Harris:
I’ve known Senator @KamalaHarris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now let’s go win this thing. pic.twitter.com/duJhFhWp6g
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama)
August 11, 2020 Harris, 55, is the first Black female vice presidential candidate in U.S. history. Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother and is the second Black woman to be elected to the Senate. She had an unsuccessful presidential run late last year when Joe Biden won the Democratic presidential nomination.
She attended Howard University and previously held positions as the California Attorney General and DA for San Francisco.
Democratic strategist Robert Shrum, director of the Center for the Political Future at USC, David Jolly, attorney and former Republican member of Congress for Florida's 13th congressional district, and Christine Pelosi, California delegate to the Democratic National Committee and chair of the California Democratic Party's Women's Caucus, joined KNX In-Depth Tuesday as the breaking news swept across the media landscape.
Shrum weighed in on the pick saying Biden was the front runner of the presidential nomination from the very beginning and secured it early on despite setbacks in Iowa and New Hampshire.
"Kamala Harris was the front runner for the VP nod from the very beginning of this process. I think she is a very strong choice. She is an excellent debater," Shrum said. "Her problem, when she ran for president, was she never settled on a single message that had resonance with people. But that's not a problem now because the message will be given to her by the Biden campaign. She doesn't have to come up with it herself."
Jolly said in the interview it's clear that Biden is reaching for history by choosing Harris.
"It's an important moment in the nation to reflect upon that and Joe Biden also knows the politics of this race. He has to rebuild what was considered the 'Obama coalition,' the mainstream Democrats, the labor Democrats as well as the energy that we saw within the African American voting community that built out the Obama coalition and that I believe what was really driving today's pick," Jolly said.
Pelosi said Biden did well to pick Harris as his vice-presidential candidate.
LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW
"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 tweeted Tuesday afternoon. "Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. 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."
Biden had indicated he would pick a female vice-presidential candidate on Tuesday.
The virtual Democratic National Convention will begin next week, as seen in the schedule below from CBS News, and there is a line-up of speakers including California Gov. Gavin Newsom next Thursday and Biden on the same day as well.
Monday: Featuring Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Former Governor John Kasich, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Former First Lady Michelle Obama.Tuesday:Featuring Former Acting US Attorney General Sally Yates, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Former Secretary of State John Kerry, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Former President Bill Clinton, and Former Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Tuesday will also feature the ‘Roll Call Across America’ as votes are officially cast to nominate Joe Biden.Wednesday: Featuring Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Elizabeth Warren, the yet to be named Vice Presidential Nominee, and Former President Barack Obama.Thursday: Featuring Senator Cory Booker, Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, The Biden Family, and former Vice President Joe Biden.
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.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden)
August 11, 2020
