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Senator Kamala Harris’ Path To The Vice Presidential Nomination

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speaks during a news conference following the Democrats weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speaks during a news conference following the Democrats weekly policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.

After months of speculation, former vice president Joe Biden has finally selected a running mate. California Sen. Kamala Harris will be the next vice president if the Democrats win in November. She is the first Black woman and the first woman of South Asian descent to be nominated for vice president by a major party.

But before she was a senator in the Golden State, she was its attorney general. And before that, she was an assistant district attorney. And even before that, she was a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Robin Givhan wrote about Harris’ time on campus for The Washington Post:

Harris wanted to be surrounded by black students, black culture and black traditions at the crown jewel of historically black colleges and universities.

“When you’re at an HBCU,” Harris says, “and especially one with the size and with the history of Howard University — and also in the context of also being in D.C., which was known forever as being ‘Chocolate City’ — it just becomes about you understanding that there is a whole world of people who are like you. It’s not just about there are a few of us who may find each other.”

How did Sen. Harris get to where she is today? And how will voters react to her running with Biden?

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5

Michelle Harven