Kamala Harris set to become 1st Black female vice-president in U.S. history – National

California Senator Kamala Harris is set to become the first female vice president in American history, according to projections from the Associated Press.

This means the U.S. will not only see its first female vice president, but also the first Black female vice-president.

Joe Biden won a narrow victory over incumbent Donald Trump on Saturday, according to the Associated Press, putting the Democrat in line to become the 46th president of the United States.

READ MORE: Joe Biden projected winner of U.S. election

The Democratic and Republican campaigns finally came to an end Saturday, five days after election night, after Biden secured critical victories over Trump in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Biden and Harris surpassed the 270 electoral votes on Saturday just before 11:30 ET with a victory in Pennsylvania, as projected by the Associated Press.

Harris took to Twitter after the race was called saying, “this election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.”

In August, Biden named Harris as his running mate, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket.

Trending Stories

• 

  
  

  
  Biden on the cusp of U.S. election victory as lead grows in Pennsylvania, Nevada

• 

  
  

  
  Texts sent to rally Trump supporters after U.S. election linked to Trump aide’s company

A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States. Hillary Clinton was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016. Two women have been nominated as running mates on major party tickets: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008. Their parties lost in the general election.

About Harris

Harris, 55, was born in Oakland, California. She is the daughter of two immigrants.

Her mother, Shymala Gopalan-Harris — a cancer researcher — was born in India. Her father, Donald Harris, immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica to study economics.

 

Harris spent most of her early life in California, but she and her younger sister Maya briefly attended high school in Canada after their mother accepted a research position at Jewish General Hospital and a teaching job at McGill University in Montreal.

After high school, Harris attended Howard University before earning her law degree at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

From 2003 to 2011, Harris served as the District Attorney in San Francisco.

In 2010, Harris became the first Black woman to be elected the Attorney General of California. She was re-elected in 2014.

READ MORE: Kamala Harris accepts VP nomination while blasting Trump

In 2016, Harris ran for the U.S. Senate and come becoming California’s third female senator. She is also the second Black woman in history to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

Harris launched her presidential campaign in early 2019 with the slogan “Kamala Harris For the People,” a reference to her courtroom work.

And during several debates, Kamala set her sights on Biden, attacking the former vice-president for his record on issues of race.

However, Harris suspended her campaign in early December, citing financial troubles.

A few months later, she announced she would be endorsing Biden.

“Joe has empathy, he has a proven track record of leadership and more than ever before we need a president of the United States who understands who the people are, sees them where they are, and has a genuine desire to help and knows how to fight to get us where we need to be,” Harris said at an event for Biden earlier this summer.

— With files from Global News’ Hannah Jackson and the Associated Press