United States President Joe Biden has announced his withdrawal from the presidential race, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. This decision comes less than a month before the Democratic nominating convention in Chicago, scheduled to start on August 19.
Biden's exit paves the way for Harris, whose public service career is marked by historic firsts. She is the first woman, first Black woman, and first South Asian-American to hold various government offices, including state attorney general and U.S. senator. Born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, Harris has served as the 49th Vice President of the United States since 2021, making her the first woman and the first African American to hold this post.
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Harris's background is rich in diversity and achievement. Her father, a Jamaican, taught at Stanford University, while her mother, the daughter of an Indian diplomat, was a cancer researcher. Harris studied political science and economics at Howard University and earned a law degree from Hastings College. She rose through the ranks to become the district attorney of San Francisco in 2004 and was narrowly elected attorney general of California in 2010, becoming the first woman and the first African American in that role.
In the U.S. Senate, Harris made a significant impact on the Judiciary Committee, known for her pointed questioning of high-profile figures like Brett Kavanaugh and Jeff Sessions. Elected in 2016, she was the first Indian American and only the second Black woman in the Senate. Sworn in as Vice President on January 20, 2021, she has continued to break barriers and set precedents.
Harris is married to Douglas Emhoff, an entertainment and intellectual property lawyer who left his law firm after the 2020 presidential campaign to teach at Georgetown University. Biden's endorsement of Harris marks a significant moment in U.S. political history as the Democratic Party prepares for the upcoming election.
