Joe Biden has picked Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate.

Biden’s reasoning, and below that, some immediate reactions:

Biden on Harris: “I’ve decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Donald Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021….

As a United States Senator from California, Kamala represents the biggest state in the union. She’s been one of the toughest and most effective Senators on two of the most important committees in the Senate — Intelligence and Judiciary. Two committees that have directly dealt with some of the most important issues facing this nation at home and around the world.

She sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where she deals with the nation’s most sensitive threats.

We’ve all watched her hold the Trump administration accountable for its corruption, stand up to a Justice Department that’s run amok, and be a powerful voice against their extreme nominations.

She’s been a leader on criminal justice and marriage equality. And she has focused like a laser on the racial disparities as a result of the coronavirus.

As California’s Attorney General, she led one of the biggest legal departments in the nation — where she was a powerful advocate for people in taking on the big banks and protecting women and kids from abuse. She’s delivered billions in settlement money to consumers, taking on companies for fraud, pollution and abuse.

I first met Kamala through my son Beau. They were both Attorneys General at the same time. He had enormous respect for her and her work. I thought a lot about that as I made this decision. There is no one’s opinion I valued more than Beau’s and I’m proud to have Kamala standing with me on this campaign.”

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Smart Republicans could see Kamala D. Harris coming years ago, and they tried to smother her early. Now that Joe Biden has chosen the first-term senator from California as his running mate, America is about to see what those Republicans could see long ago: Harris is a quick learner and gifted political performer with genuine star power.
from long-time California journalist Dan Morain

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From Lincoln Project:

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“It is a measure of these extraordinary times that Joe Biden’s historic choice for vice president was also the most conventional.

In choosing Kamala Harris, Biden selected the candidate who had been the frontrunner among political handicappers and betting markets for months. The senator from California fulfills Biden’s pledge to name a woman and responds to the expectation that he would pick the first woman of color ever to serve on a national ticket…Harris has been publicly vetted, at least partially, through her race for the White House. And while Biden may have questions about how she would operate as vice president, he also knows that it will be a moot point if he isn’t elected.
In making his choice, Biden signaled that he is focused like a laser on November, and he views Harris as the best bet to win.” Why Kamala Harris Won the VP contest, by David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama and chief strategist for the 2008 and 2012 Obama presidential campaigns.

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“Here’s a reality check: Running mates have little direct effect on voters. When people go to the polls, they are primarily expressing a preference for the presidential candidate, not the second person on the ticket. In our new book, “Do Running Mates Matter?” my collaborator Kyle Kopko and I analyze half a century of political science survey data to examine what effect a running mate has on the success of presidential candidates.In general, voters are very unlikely to choose a presidential ticket simply because they like or dislike the second-in-command.
Christopher J. Devine, assistant professor of political science at the University of Dayton

.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals.

I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020