The article says: Democrat Joe Biden is running for president. Last Tuesday, he announced the person he had chosen to be his vice-presidential running mate: Senator Kamala D. Harris of California. Biden's announcement ended months of talk over who his pick would be.

Harris is Black and Indian American. That makes her the first woman of color on a major-party presidential ticket. She is only the fourth woman on a major-party ticket.

Here's what you should know about her.

Why Biden Picked Her
Harris had long been seen as a likely pick. She was among the best known of the people Biden was considering to be his running mate. That was partly because of her own presidential run during this year's Democratic primary. The primary race determined who would represent the Democratic Party in the November general election. Harris never came close to winning the primary. But, she was well-liked by many Democrats, particularly women and Black voters.

Harris was responsible for the best-remembered attack of the 2020 Democratic primary debates. In the first debate, Harris attacked Biden for being against busing when he was a senator in the 1970s. During the 1970s, many students were bused to schools outside their neighborhoods to make classrooms more racially integrated. As a young girl, Harris was one of those students. Harris's attack on Biden over busing was viewed as hurting her chances of being picked for the ticket. However, in the end, Biden did not hold it against her.

Her Background
Harris lives in Oakland, California. She has represented California in the U. S. Senate since 2017. Harris was the second Black woman and the first South Asian American to join the Senate. Before that, she became California's attorney general — the state's top lawyer — in 2011.

Harris was born to parents who immigrated to the United States from India and Jamaica. Both parents worked at universities in California's San Francisco Bay area. Harris graduated from Howard University, a historically Black school. She then attended the University of California's Hastings College of the Law. During her presidential bid, she spoke often about how much the two universities had shaped her views of race and justice in America.

Harris was elected the district attorney of San Francisco in 2003. She was the first Black district attorney in the state. Harris is married to another lawyer, Douglas Emhoff.

Kamala Harris signing papers with a camera crew behind her
Image 2. Harris was not only the first Black woman to be a district attorney in California, but she was also the first Indian American district attorney in the nation. In this picture from November 2008, she was the San Francisco district, attorney. She was signing election papers to run for California attorney general. Photo: Ben Margo/AP Photo.

What She Brings To The Ticket
Several things make Harris a good pick for Biden. For one, she is unlikely to hurt his chances of winning. Her previous run for the presidency means her record has already been closely examined. This indicates that her record meets the standards for a VP pick.

Harris is 55 years old. That makes her more than 20 years younger than Biden, who would be the oldest president ever elected if he won. Additionally, many people were calling on Biden to pick a Black woman as his running mate. These people are pleased by Harris's selection.

Harris is known in Washington for asking tough questions during Congressional hearings. She has challenged several people President Trump attempted to appoint to key positions. Harris's years as a prosecutor and attorney general made her an effective public speaker. She should do well in the October debate with Vice President Pence.

The Potential Downsides
Harris was not a favorite of the left-wing of the Democratic Party. Critics point to her background as a pro-police prosecutor and attorney general. That background, they say, makes her a poor choice given the ongoing protests against police violence and racism.

Many voters who backed Senator Bernie Sanders or Senator Elizabeth Warren during the primary have not yet been strongly won over by Biden. It is unclear whether Harris will change that. She is viewed as a mainstream Democrat, like Biden.

Trump and his team have already begun criticizing Harris. After she was selected, they brought up her attack on Biden and called her "Phony Kamala."