Kamala Harris is Joe Biden's running mate

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden  selected California Senator Kamala Harris as his runningmate. 

Harris, 55, is the third woman and first  Black woman to contest as Vice President on a major party ticket. 

“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 said on Twitter. 

Harris, who became only the Senate’s second Black woman in its history, is expected to bring the African American and Indian American votes. Last time, a dip in the black vote contributed to the loss of Hillary Clinton. 

Harris, 55, is a former prosecutor and state attorney general in California. Her  aggressive questioning of Judge Brett Kavanaugh during his 2018 Supreme Court confirmation hearing, got her national prominence. 

Harris is scheduled to debate Pence on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

An younger running mate is important for Biden, who will turn 78 in November and be the oldest person to become president if he is elected.

 Biden’s age also has led to broad speculation he will serve only one term, making Harris a potential top contender for the nomination in 2024. 

Biden publicly committed to choosing a woman as his No. 2 in a March debate after discussing the matter with his wife Jill, media reported. 

Harris will be confirmed as Biden’s running mate at the Democratic convention that begins on Monday. 

Harris at times came under criticism from some in the Black community and from progressive advocates for her record as California attorney general where, they say, she did not do enough to investigate police shootings and too often sided with prosecutors in wrongful conviction cases. 

Her defenders say she has always been reform-minded – and point to her record in the Senate, where she has championed a police-reform bill and an anti-lynching bill, among other measures. 

The daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, Harris has knocked down barriers throughout her career. She was the first woman to serve as San Francisco’s district attorney, elected to that office in 2003, and the first woman to serve as California’s attorney general, elected to that office in 2010.