Kamala Harris emerges as key player in electioneering of Biden campaign

Kamala Harris, 57, has already scripted history by becoming the first African American and Black to become the vice presidential candidate of a major political party

November 03, 2020 03:53 am | Updated 03:53 am IST - Washington

U.S. Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris campaigns in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. October 25, 2020.

U.S. Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris campaigns in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. October 25, 2020.

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Senator Kamal Harris has emerged as a key player in the electioneering of the Biden campaign for the November 3 polls, crisscrossing some of the top battleground states and urging voters to change the course of the U.S. history.

Often called a trailblazer or a woman Obama, Ms. Harris, whose mother immigrated from India in 1950s and father is an African American from Jamaica, could be the first female Vice President of the country, if the latest polls are of any indication.

Ms. Harris, 57, has already scripted history by becoming the first African American and Black to become the vice presidential candidate of a major political party.

With her campaign restricted by the COVID-19 social distancing regulations, Ms. Harris has emerged as a key player in the electioneering of the Biden campaign.

Over the past few days, she has been crisscrossing some of the top battle ground States like Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Over the weekend, she became the first ever Democratic Party’s Vice-Presidential candidate to campaign in the Republican bastion of Texas.

Her past record indicates that she cherishes in taking challenges. As the California attorney general, she took head on the big banks and tech companies and was successful in her efforts, getting accolades even from her opponents.

“Let’s make history on Tuesday,” Ms. Harris tweeted Monday.

“We are three days away from directing and changing the course of the history of our country. There is so much at stake,” she said at an election rally in Florida over the weekend.

In her campaign speeches, she talks about the issue of racial discrimination and women’s voting rights.

We must vote to honour the ancestors. This year, we celebrated the 19th Amendment. The 100 anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The ancestors, the suffragettes, who those 100 years ago in all of their white work marching and shouting for a woman’s right to vote, she said at a drive-in rally in Fayetteville in North Carolina.

Saying we will not be deterred, we will not be left behind. Now, let us remember because we also it must be truthful about history that black women couldn’t vote until 1965, so we have to remember that, she said.

The Washington Post on Monday reflected on Ms. Harris so close to becoming the first Vice President of the country.

In her own, quieter way, Ms. Harris has embraced her presence on the cusp of history. Her potential to become the first woman so close to the presidency has gotten less attention than previous female candidacies — in part because of the crises gripping the nation, in part because of other firsts that Ms. Harris embodies as a Black and Asian American woman, and in part because of her relatively low-profile way of grappling with gender, The Washington Post said.

Ms. Harris is the first Indian American of any gender, and the first graduate of a historically Black university, on a major ticket. Those landmarks only underline her role as potentially the first woman, after 244 years, to serve in either of America’s two highest offices, The Washington Post wrote.

Ms. Harris, over the years, has emerged a role model for thousands of girls and women in the country.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.