How Kamala Harris became first black woman and Asian American US presidential nominee
Vice President Kamala Harris is the first black woman and Asian American to be the presidential nominee of a major US political party.
Vice President Kamala Harris has made history by becoming the first black woman and Asian American to be the presidential nominee of a major US political party.
Harris secured the Democratic Party’s nomination on Friday afternoon after gaining the majority of votes from delegates.
‘I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States,’ said Harris in a livestream call sponsored by her party.
‘Your dedication cannot be overstated. Your dedication to our country. I know we all feel this way so strongly. We love our country, we believe in the promise of America, and that’s what this campaign is about.’
How did Kamala Harris become a 2024 presidential nominee?
Harris crossed the threshold of 2,350 votes to win the nomination, one day after the party began a virtual roll call vote. It will completely official after the voting period for the 4,000 delegates closes on Monday at 6pm.
‘I am so proud to confirm that Vice President Harris has earned more than a majority of votes from all convention delegates and will be the nominee of the Democratic Party following the close of voting on Monday,’ stated Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison during the call.
Harrison highlighted the historic moment.
‘Today, my friends, is special, because we can proudly say we will have the first woman of color at the top of a major party ticket,’ he said.
Did Kamala Harris face competition in securing the Democratic nomination?
President Joe Biden announced he was ending his reelection campaign on July 21 and minutes later, endorsed his vice president, Harris, to replace him as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Biden called his decision to choose Harris as his second-in-command when he won the 2020 election, the ‘best decision I’ve made’.
Democrats quickly united in support of Harris, despite some other names who were tossed around including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Maryland Governor Wes Moore.
Though there was earlier talk of potential candidates competing ahead of the Democratic National Convention in mid-August, Harris for the past couple of weeks has enjoyed running unopposed.
How has Kamala Harris made history?
Harris, the daughter of an Indian-American mom and a Jamaican-American dad, is the first black and South Asian woman in US history to win a presidential nominee designation.
It comes after she made history in 2020, becoming the first woman, black and South Asian American to become vice president.
Glenda Carr, who heads the Higher Heights organization helping black women run for office, told CBS News that ‘this is an exciting moment about her making history’ and that ‘her candidacy sets a new direction in the way that we talk about Black women’s political leadership’.
Democratic National Convention Chair Minyon Moore ahead of the roll call vote said that Harris ‘has earned the right to run this race and run it in a dignified way’.
What did Donald Trump say about Kamala Harris’ racial background?
Former President Donald Trump, who secured the Republican nomination in mid-July, attacked Harris’ racial identity in a combative interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention on Wednesday.
‘She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,’ said Trump.
‘I didn’t know she was black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn black, and now she wants to be known as black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?’
Trump faced heavy criticism for questioning Harris’ racial background as numerous polls have shown Harris edging slightly ahead of him. As of Friday morning, 538 had polling averages showing Harris leading Trump with 45% support from voters versus 43.5%.
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