Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris, a woman of color as his running mate

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, picked Senator Kamala Harris as his choice for vice president, making her the first Black woman and the first Asian American to compete on a major party's presidential ticket in the United States.

The announcement on Tuesday capped a months-long search for a Democratic partner to challenge President Donald Trump in November.

Biden on Twitter called Harris "a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants".

Together, with you, we're going to beat Trump, he said.

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

Harris, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination against Biden, said she was "honored" to join the ticket and would "do what it takes" to help him win.

Biden could "unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us", she wrote on Twitter

.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals.
I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020

Biden's campaign said he and Harris would make their first joint appearance on Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware, where Biden lives and has spent most of his time in recent months limiting campaign travel because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In choosing Harris, a 55-year-old first-term senator from California, Biden is acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat Trump. Four years ago, the first dip in Black voter turnout in 20 years contributed to Democrat Hillary Clinton's upset loss to Trump.