After months and weeks of speculation, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden finally announced his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris. Despite the long speculation, his choice wasn’t very surprising at all. I would venture to say there really wasn’t anyone else for Biden to pick. Despite her attack on Biden during one of the Democratic primary debates, her relationship with Biden’s late son Beau and the relationship she built with the Bidens prior to her presidential run made Harris a likely choice from the beginning. Harris, out of all other candidates, just seemed to be the right fit for Biden’s ticket.
There remains a lot of skepticism about Harris among the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, but that skepticism is misplaced. A recent New York Times article, “Progressives Didn’t Want Harris for V.P. They’re Backing Her Anyway,” focused on progressives who wanted Biden to choose one of their own, such as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or California Rep. Karen Bass. Even though Harris wasn’t their preference, progressive activists have signaled they will back Biden.
