President Biden endorses Kamala Harris as Democratic candidate

President Joe Biden announced that he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race and is endorsing Jamaican-American Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.

In a social media post, Biden wrote: “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all of my energy on my duties as president for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party’s nominee in 2020 was to choose Kamala Harris as my vice president. And it is the best decision I have ever made. Today, I want to give my full support and endorsement to Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year. Democrats, it is time to come together and defeat Trump. Let’s do this.”

If Harris runs and wins in November, she would make history as the first woman, the first Caribbean American and the first Asian American to be elected president of the United States.

Despite low approval ratings during her time as vice president, Harris’ supporters emphasize her advocacy for reproductive rights, her appeal among black voters and her background as a prosecutor, which could prove advantageous as she runs against a now-convicted felon.

Harris, a former California senator, began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and became San Francisco’s district attorney in 2003. She later became the first woman and first Black person to serve as California’s attorney general. In 2017, she was elected as California’s junior senator, earning a reputation as one of the Democratic Party’s rising stars.

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Harris’ first presidential campaign in 2020 was unsuccessful, but was later chosen by Joe Biden as his running mate.

Kamala Harris Background

Harris was born in 1964 to parents who were active in the civil rights movement. She was raised by her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian immigrant, and her father, Donald Harris, a Jamaican immigrant. Her parents met at the University of California, Berkeley, a center of activism in the 1960s. Harris often speaks of her late mother as the most important influence in her life.

Kamala Harris identifies as a Black woman, which reflects the upbringing her mother instilled in her. She attended Howard University, a historically Black college, and became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s first sorority founded by and for Black women.

Throughout her career, Harris has campaigned at HBCUs, championing issues important to young Black men and women, and advocating for bold measures to combat systemic racism.

Harris is married to Doug Emhoff, a Jewish man, and is also a stepmother. She is affectionately called “Momala” by Emhoff’s children from a previous marriage.

Read: President Biden drops out of 2024 US presidential race