Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has selected U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate as he makes his own presidential run.
Harris has made history as the first Black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket. She is also the first Indian-American to be in such a position.
According to Biden's website, Harris was the first Black woman to represent California in the United States Senate. Her father immigrated to the United States from Jamaica to study economics, and her mother emigrated from India.
In 2010, Harris became the first Black woman to be elected California attorney general, overseeing the country's second largest Justice Department, only behind the U.S. Department of Justice.
Since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Kamala has introduced and co-sponsored legislation to help the middle class, increase the minimum wage to $15, reform cash bail, and defend the legal rights of refugees and immigrants.
In a statement, Democracy for America CEO Yvette Simpson said, "Vice President Biden's selection of Senator Kamala Harris gives Democrats an historic opportunity to defeat Donald Trump, break through a glass ceiling for Black women, and win majorities in both the House and the Senate that can deliver the bold progressive reforms we need to restore America."
"Kamala Harris is a proven fighter for equality, safety and justice for all, and we know she will continue making LGBTQ acceptance a priority in her history-making run alongside Joe Biden," said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a separate statement. "Sen. Harris' record stands in stark contrast to that of Mike Pence and the Trump Administration, which has relentlessly targeted LGBTQ people168 attacks in policy and rhetoric since taking office, according to GLAAD's researchand the number goes up every week."
Only two other women have been nominated as running mates on major party tickets: Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, and Sarah Palin in 2008.