Preliminary reports from Politico on Tuesday signaled that Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., would be presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden’s choice for a vice-presidential running mate.
Politico appeared to have the inside track on the nomination. Last week it had posted—apparently by accident—a list of the prospective running mates that identified Harris as the winner.
It was followed shortly thereafter by another apparent accident—an accidental leak of Biden’s notes in a photograph, which showed Biden offering glowing praise for Harris.
Even so, some remained skeptical that the leaks were more than a ruse to throw speculators off course. Other names, including former national security adviser Susan Rice and California Rep. Karen Bass had drawn considerable focus in media coverage of late.
Biden, who has encountered repeated gaffes that have offended minorities and others, made good on his pledge to name a minority woman with the choice.
However, some may be wary of Harris, a former San Francisco prosecutor and California attorney general, whose hard-nosed demeanor has been as much a liability as an asset to her political ambition.
With the radical left clamoring to defund police, Harris’s own prosecutorial record may come under scrutiny. That includes a controversial decision to support the arrest and incarceration of parents whose children were truant to school.
The Biden campaign likely was optimistic, though, that Harris could help provide balance to the ticket and to reassure voters that an experienced lawmaker would be in line to replace him.
The 77-year-old has appeared to be in a state of cognitive decline, adding to the importance of a competent second-in-command.
Harris also was a prominent critic of Biden’s during the drawn-out Democratic primary, attacking him in heated debate moments over his blighted record on racial matters, including support for segregated busing in the 1970s.
One area where the two candidates will not round each other out, though, is the propensity for flubs.
While Biden has been notorious for flip-flopping on issues like China and abortion, Harris also has garnered a reputation for her indecisiveness in areas like socialized health care.
