Biden-Harris 2020: That’s the ticket

Weeks of speculation washed away with one tweet at 2:17 p.m. New Mexico time Wednesday. From Vice President Joe Biden, this simple statement: “I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate.”

Finally, the ticket: Biden-Harris 2020. For the first time in U.S. history, a Black woman will be on the presidential ticket of a major political party. It is a groundbreaking selection, all the more so because Harris, a U.S. senator from California, was also the logical, almost safe pick.

A Biden presidential primary opponent, Harris showed the ability to make human connections on the trail while also displaying a laser-like ability to question witnesses during Senate hearings. She is a former prosecutor and California attorney general, hardly the leftist, defund-the-police caricature that the GOP will try to describe.

With one decision, Biden chose a running mate from another generation — she is 55, more than two decades younger than the 77-year-old presumptive presidential nominee. He chose a Black woman, a tribute to the voters who revived his presidential campaign in South Carolina. She also is the daughter of immigrants — her father from Jamaica and her mother from India. Her full name, remember, is Kamala Devi Harris. She breaks barriers on many levels.

The process — which focused on women only, including New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham — elevated a number of potential picks to more prominent positions. The Democratic search for a vice president highlighted the depth and quality of female talent within the party.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Val Demings of Florida, U.S. Rep. Karen Bass of California, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and former United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice were some of the impressive, qualified women considered to be Biden’s running mate. They will take on other roles, whether in the Cabinet, if Biden wins the election, or by winning statewide office. This is a deep bench for the future.

That bench includes Lujan Grisham, whose leadership in New Mexico on climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought her deserved national attention. While she would be a tremendous pick for a potential Biden Cabinet, we hope Lujan Grisham remains in New Mexico to finish fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and righting the economic ship. There will be time later in a Biden presidency — should one happen — for her to shine on the national stage.

That cannot happen, of course, unless the Biden-Harris ticket wins in November. The selection of Harris, a more-than-qualified, groundbreaking selection, gives the Biden campaign a boost.

He had the confidence to select a running mate who had challenged him during the primary — their exchange on race during the first debate went viral. That’s encouraging, a welcome change from the sycophants surrounding the current president.

For New Mexico and the West, Harris’ choice marks the selection of the first nominee representing a Western state to a Democratic presidential ticket. That’s another first. She is also a graduate of a historically Black college or university, Howard University in Washington, D.C. All in all, a day of firsts for the Democratic Party and for the nation.

The selection of a potential vice president brings a candidate’s judgment to the forefront. Joe Biden selected a woman who, most importantly, can step into the job of president. That she brings with her the aspirations of so many people to the ticket gives the nation a sense of validation — and purpose — in a singularly unpleasant year.