Former Vice President Joe Biden has picked California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, picking his former rival from the Democratic primaries over a field of candidates that included two prominent Georgia women.
Harris, who campaigned in Atlanta late last year when she was running for president, is the first Black woman to be nominated by a major party.
“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,” Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said on Twitter Tuesday afternoon.
Biden and Harris will appear together as running mates for the first time Wednesday in Delaware.
Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia gubernatorial candidate who was in the running for the role, quickly pledged her support Tuesday. The former Georgia House Minority Leader who has become a national figure said she spoke with Biden “at length” this weekend and again Tuesday.
“I am thrilled to support Senator Kamala Harris as the next Vice President of the United States,” Abrams said in a statement. “He is building a team that can rebuild America and restore our faith in what lies ahead.
“I look forward to doing all I can for Team Biden-Harris to deliver Georgia’s 16 electoral voters and a Senate majority, and to fight voter suppression across the country,” she said.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was an early supporter of Biden and also reportedly a contender for vice president, followed with this: “Congratulations to @kamalaharris and @JoeBiden on a fantastic and historic ticket. Now, let’s go win!”
It was also announced Tuesday that Bottoms will have the high-profile job of being the speaker at the next week’s Democratic National Convention who will close out next week’s all-virtual event that will make the Biden-Harris ticket official.
Democratic Party of Georgia Chairwoman Nikema Williams said Harris “has the knowledge, the will, and the drive to fight for the soul of our nation.”
“Make no mistake — ambitious, smart Black women are the driving force of this party and this country. Georgia Democrats have Kamala’s back — because we know she will have ours,” Williams said.
