The question that has consumed the time of journalists, politicians and the general public has finally been answered. Joe Biden’s running mate is California Senator Kamala Harris.
Harris, a brilliant lawyer, penetrating orator and fierce critic of Trump, was a prominent state attorney general in her native California. The very charismatic Kamala Harris’ mission has been associated with the legal struggles to guarantee equal opportunities (for example, during the banking crisis of 2007 she focused on defending the homes of mortgage debtors who were victims of predatory lending practices) and reform of the penal and penitentiary system. She has aimed to eliminate injustices and vestiges of systemic racism, including through the eradication of police violence, which affects vulnerable sectors and ethnic minorities, especially Afro-Americans and Latinos. She is, no doubt, a national authority on social affairs and health reform, and in economic matters, her approach does not arouse rejection from the business sectors.
The daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, with African roots from the Caribbean, she is also a potent political asset among Latino voters. Indeed, the prestigious pollster Latino Decisions in a recent investigation (conducted for the Voter Participation Center and Voto Latino) found that 59% of Latino voters, residents of key states defined as “electoral battlefields,” said they would be excited about Harris as vice president, and 52% said Harris’ selection would make them more likely to vote for Biden.
Harris, who was a presidential candidate and confronted Biden himself with the force that characterizes her debates, withdrew early from the race, but, beyond the tension typical of a primary election, during her tenure as attorney general of California developed a close friendship with Beau Biden, the late son of the former vice president, who was then attorney general of Delaware, and who was regarded as one of the rising stars of the Democratic party. Without a doubt, that friendship must have created, beyond the ups and downs of politics, bonds of trust and loyalty fundamental for a politician like Joe Biden.
But there a noteworthy element to Joe Biden’s decision. Kamala Harris is the daughter of an immigrant family. Her defense of the American dream amplifies the vision of the Democratic candidate regarding the importance of immigrants as a fundamental part of the social fabric of the United States. The story of Kamala Harris, and her career, inspires millions of families who came to this country to build a better future, achieve happiness and reach the potential that for different reasons were denied to us in our countries of origin. In fact, the Senator from California has become involved in three foreign policy issues especially relevant to the Latin American community: first, she is one of the 30 Democratic Senators who has pressured the Trump administration to reactivate the cooperation program with the countries of the Central American North Triangle; second, as a Senator (and also as a presidential candidate) she advocated for and supported temporary immigration protection (TPS) for Venezuelans; and finally, she has unreservedly denounced the undermining of the asylum process by the Trump administration, as well as the inhumane practice of separating asylum-seeking families on the southern US border.
In short, it is a very good decision. It consolidates in a single appointment Afro-American and Latino support and symbolizes the empowerment of women, in this case, the daughter of immigrants. Harris is a person who also, as Joe Biden himself has recognized, is prepared from day one to exercise the presidency herself, as well as to be the main actor in the delegation of the work to which he aspires as President, repeating the model that President Obama used with Biden himself during his tenure. As an illustrious narrator of baseball from my youth in Venezuela used to say, mi gente, don’t change your tune, we’re coming back, and the game is just now getting good. Kamala, the daughter of immigrants, is ready to make history.
Photo: Kamala Harris/Twitter