Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, has picked California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. Biden, and Harris, will formally accept the party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention next week.

"You make a lot of important decisions as president. But the first one is who you select to be your Vice President. I've 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 wrote in an email from his campaign to supporters.

"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 tweeted.

Harris is the only Black woman serving in the U.S. Senate. Before being elected in 2016, Harris was California's Attorney General.

Biden and Harris will deliver joint remarks on Wednesday (August 12) from Wilmington, Delaware.

The Biden campaign said that they have staffers in place to assist Harris with the rigors of running a national campaign. Karine Jean-Pierre, will be chief of staff, Liz Allen will serve as communications director, and Sheila Nix will be a senior adviser to Harris and her spouse.

Harris is just the third woman to be picked as a vice-presidential candidate for a major party's ticket. She is the first Black woman to have that honor.

The NAACP issued a statement recognizing "the overwhelming significance of this moment and what it means for this nation."

"This moment is long overdue. For far too long, we have undervalued Black women's political power and their role in shaping our culture, communities, and country," Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP, said.

For more on Kamala Harris and the 2020 Presidential election, listen to the Black Information Network.

Photo: Getty Images

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