US Vice President Kamala Harris has officially become the Democratic presidential nominee and is all set to face Donald Trump in the November 2024 election. This is the first time in the history of the US that a woman of colour has secured the nomination and will be leading on a major party ticket on Monday.
Historic Nomination of Harris
Harris’s name was popped as the presidential candidate after US President Joe Biden’s poor performance at a debate in June. It also resulted in doubt on his re-election chances. A five-day online voting process was conducted by the Democratic National Convention. As per the latest report by AP, 99% of ballots were registered in her name.
Campaign strategy of the US presidential nominee
The US Vice President plans to stick to the main theme of Biden’s campaign which is primarily focused on gun violation prevention, democracy, and abortion rights but with a more impactful approach. Her prosecution background will aid her in facing off his opponent Trump especially all the convictions related to the hush money schemes. Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California highlighted the significance of Harris’s selection- one is because of her point of view as a prosecutor and also as a woman backing reproductive rights.
Early life of Harris
Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland California. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan was an Indian immigrant and a breast cancer scientist and his father, Donald Harris, was born in Jamaica and is a Stanford professor. Her career started as a prosecutor in the Bay Area and later became California’s Attorney General in the year 2010. After this, she became a US senator in 2016. Her stint at the Senate during the Trump reign is remembered as a fierce liberal voice.
Challenges she faced as a US Vice President
Harris’s role as a Vice President began with a challenging start. Biden allotted her to address the Central American migration issue which caused huge criticism from the Republicans. She also played a pivotal role and emerged as a leading advocate for abortion rights in 2022. She also contributed to delivering legislative successes in a divided Senate.
(With inputs from AP)