Joe Biden’s announcement that Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., will join his ticket and run as his vice president has been praised by other top contenders.
“My warmest congratulations to @KamalaHarris. I am confident Biden-Harris will prove to be a winning ticket. I will do my utmost to help them win and govern,” tweeted Susan Rice, just minutes after Biden made the announcement.
“Sen. Harris is a tenacious and trailblazing leader who will make a great partner on the campaign trail,” Rice added in a statement.
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As a former national security adviser for President Obama, there has been speculation that Rice may still have a seat in Biden’s cabinet.
Stacey Abrams, another shortlisted contender for the role, threw her support behind Biden’s pick and said that she was “thrilled to support Senator Kamala Harris” in a statement Tuesday.
“I am privileged to have been a part of this process and to speak with Vice President Biden at length over the weekend and again today,” Abrams said. “He is building a team that can rebuild America and restore our faith in what lies ahead.”
Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., who received a lot of media attention last week, said that Harris was a “great choice for Vice President.”
“Her tenacious pursuit of justice and relentless advocacy for the people is what is needed right now,” Bass said in a tweet.
“California is better because of her work as Attorney General and stronger because of her work as Senator,” Bass added. “Now all Americans will benefit from her work as Vice President.”
Former President Barack Obama gave his support for Biden’s choice, saying he “nailed this decision.”
“Choosing a vice president is the first important decision a president makes. When you’re in the Oval Office, weighing the toughest issues, and the choice you make will affect the lives and livelihoods of the entire country – you need someone with you who’s got the judgment and the character to make the right call,” Obama said in a statement Tuesday.
Former candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Mass., and Bernie Sanders, Vt., voiced their support for Biden’s Tuesday decision.
“She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history,” Sanders said in a tweet.
Other congressional Democrats came out in support of Biden’s choice, including fellow California Rep. Ted Lieu.
“I had the opportunity to work with her when I was in Sacramento, when I was in [the] legislature and she was attorney general,” Lieu told 360aproko News.
“And now when I’m in Congress and she’s in the Senate, she is brilliant. She is passionate. And she knows how to get things done.”
Harris, a presidential candidate before dropping out in 2019, had some contencious exchanges with Biden on the campaign trail.
Harris criticized Biden’s 1970’s stance on busing for school integration, asking him during a Miami debate, “Do you agree today that you were wrong to oppose busing in America?”
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Biden, who served as the Vice President to the first Black U.S. president, was visibly angered by the accusation and called her words a “mischaracterization” of his position.
“There are moments in history where states fail to support the civil rights of people,” Harris responded.
But they reportedly maintained an amicable relationship and Harris told 360aproko news in an interview shortly after the debate that she had a “great deal of respect” for him.”
“I’m not good at keeping hard feelings,” Biden told a reporter in December after Harris dropped out, for the first time hinting that she may be a contender as a vice presidential pick.
“Senator Harris has the capacity to be anything she wants to be,” he added.
The Trump campaign used their contentious debate exchange as an easy target and President Trump released an attack add on Twitter within minutes of Biden’s announcement.
