ASMA KHALID: The presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden
has picked Calif. Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.
It's a historic decision here. This is the first woman of
color to be nominated for vice president on a major party ticket.
She's the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants. In an
email, Biden told supporters, "These aren't normal times.
I need someone working alongside me who is smart,
tough and ready to lead. Kamala is that person."
Conventional wisdom is that a running mate does not dramatically
persuade voters one way or the other. But given Biden's advanced age,
he's 77, the decision to choose Harris might carry more weight
than a typical VP pick. Harris is widely viewed as a consensus
choice. The former attorney general is known for her pragmatism.
She ran for president herself this cycle. And despite some moments
of magnetism on the trail, her campaign really struggled to gain
traction. And she ended up dropping out of the race before the
Iowa caucuses were even held. During that brief presidential
primary run, her record as a former prosecutor riled up some in
the far left of her party. Still, Biden's decision to choose a
black woman as his running mate has been widely praised by many
activists and leaders who had been encouraging the presumptive
Democratic nominee to pick a black woman. The two are set to
deliver remarks in Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, on
Wednesday, and then they'll also hold a virtual fundraiser together.
Asma Khalid, NPR News.
