Kamala Harris 'honored' to be Biden's running mate, touts his ability to 'unify'
'And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals,' Harris said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kamala Harris on Tuesday said she is “honored” to join the ticket as Joe Biden’s running mate, touting the former vice president’s ability to “unify the American people.”
“@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us,” the Democratic senator from California tweeted. “And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals.”
BIDEN TAPS KAMALA HARRIS AS RUNNING MATE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She added: “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.”
Harris’s tweet comes after Biden announced in an email to supporters on Tuesday afternoon that he had chosen her as his running mate, saying that he “decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Donald Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021.”
Biden also tweeted: "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.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added: "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.”
The decision comes after Biden and Harris publicly clashed in the primary campaign—notably when Harris challenged him on the debate stage of his past resistance to federally mandated desegregation busing.
TRUMP CAMPAIGN BLASTS 'PHONY' KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS BIDEN PICK REFLECTS 'EXTREME AGENDA'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The pick shows a willingness from both Biden and Harris to move past their differences. The decision may have been tipped off days earlier, when he was photographed with talking points saying of Harris that he does “not hold grudges” and has “great respect for her.”
The choice also fulfills a commitment the former vice president made in March to name a woman as running mate. Naming a Black woman at a time when issues of systemic racism are front-and-center also responds to signals from some circles in the party that such a choice could help build bridges with the Black community.
The timing gives Biden plenty of space to re-introduce her to voters ahead of this month’s scaled-back Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Meanwhile, the Trump campaign blasted Biden's pick, calling Harris a "phony," while saying the choice reflects the former vice president’s “extreme agenda.”
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.