Harris to take big role as Biden VP

THE inauguration of Kamala Harris as the US’s first female Vice President has been celebrated as a historic moment in global politics.

Ms Harris resigned her Senate seat to assume the new high office but will continue to play an important role in the chamber, casting any tiebreaking votes.

With the US Senate currently split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, Ms Harris gives her party control on any issue requiring a simple-majority vote.

Ms Harris, also the first African-American and South Asian American to hold the vice presidency, was praised by world leaders and celebrities as she took her oath.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he “particularly” wanted to congratulate Ms Harris upon her history-making inauguration.

“That is a historic moment and one that I think as a father of daughters, you can only celebrate,” he said.

Entertainer and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey said she was “in tears” watching the “extraordinary moment for women in the US, and the world”.

Ms Harris, 56, is widely considered an obvious contender for the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nomination should Mr Biden, 78, decide not to seek a second term.

The daughter of immigrants — her mother arrived in the US from India and her father from Jamaica — Ms Harris has a history of “firsts” in her career. She was San Francisco’s first female district attorney, then California’s first woman of colour elected attorney-general.

Her experience with the US criminal justice system is expected to make her one of the leaders within the Biden administration in its bid to address the issues of racial inequality. She is also expected to be a top adviser on judicial nominations.