Kamala Harris is poised to write several chapters of the story when she is formally declared vice president-elect of the United States, a prospect that seems inevitable as the race for the White House draws to a close.
Harris, born to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, will become the first woman, the first Native American, the first black, the first South Asian and the first Asian to be elected vice president if Joe Biden wins the United States presidential election. United.
Harris, who had accepted Biden’s announcement of his selection with a salute to his “Chithis” (Tamil for aunts) connected with several constituencies at the same time: African-American, Asian-American, South-Asian-American and, of course, the 4.5 million American Indians, 1.9 million of whom are eligible to vote.
Perhaps alarmed by her broad appeal, President Donald Trump, who had said she would be a “good choice” as Biden’s running mate, immediately began targeting her. He called her “nasty” and “monster.” He frequently mispronounced his first name as a tactic generally employed to make Americans of different ethnicities uncomfortable (he had done the same for President Barak Obama by insisting on adding his middle name whenever he referred to him) and led her followers to boo her. at their rallies.
Trump ally and Republican Senator David Perdue took the president’s initiative and mocked his name at a rally in Georgia. Biden’s campaign turned that into a mobilization opportunity with people jumping in to explain the meaning of their names and offering suggestions on how to pronounce them correctly.
The Indian-American community was thrilled with his selection. “Harris has mobilized Native Americans, especially Democrats,” said a Carnegie poll report. “Harris’s candidacy for vice presidency has prompted a large portion of the American Indian community to turn out to vote. Ultimately, while Harris’s election may not change a large number of votes (given the community’s historic Democratic lean), his candidacy is linked to increased enthusiasm for the Democratic nomination. “
Harris spoke of mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who came to the United States from Chennai and was a breast cancer researcher, often while campaigning. “How I wish he was here tonight, but I know he’s looking at me from above,” Harris said at the Democratic party convention as he accepted his nomination as a vice presidential candidate.
“I keep thinking of that 25-year-old Indian woman, all five feet tall, who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California … That day, I probably never would have imagined that I would be standing before they now speak. these words: I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of America, ”Harris said.
Harris began her career in public office as a public attorney in Oakland, California.
She was elected to the United States Senate in 2016 by the state of California and is now on her way to being vice president.
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