Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who once derided former Vice President Joe Biden as a supporter of racist policies, officially endorsed the Delaware Senator-turned-former Veep in a video posted to social media Sunday morning.
Biden “has served our country with dignity and we need him now more than ever,” Kamala says in the short clip. ““I have decided I am with great enthusiasm going to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States. I believe in Joe.”
WATCH:
.@JoeBiden has served our country with dignity and we need him now more than ever. I will do everything in my power to help elect him the next President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/DbB2fGWpaa
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) March 8, 2020
“There is no one better prepared than Joe to steer our nation through these turbulent times, and restore truth, honor, and decency to the Oval Office. He is kind and endlessly caring, and he truly listens to the American people,” the progressive California Senator said in an accompanying statement sent to media.
“You can see in his eyes how he takes to heart the experiences of mothers and fathers working to make ends meet and worrying about whether their children can be safe in their classroom, or young people who fight tirelessly to tackle climate change as they ask for a fair shot at the future in front of them. And with a lifetime in public service, Joe has a proven track record of getting things done,” she gushed.
“This is something we must reckon with and it is something I will have more to say about in the future,” Harris eventually concluded, encouraging party unity. “But we must rise to unite the party and country behind a candidate who reflects the decency and dignity of the American people and who can ultimately defeat Donald Trump.”
Harris’s endorsement comes months after she ended her own presidential campaign, and only after the Democratic Party appears to have coalesced behind Biden in a last-ditch effort to derail the possible nomination of Vermont socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Just months ago, too, Harris made her mark in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination by attacking Biden explicitly, dressing down the former Vice President in a mid-summer debate, accusing Biden of all manner of sins, and going after “Biden’s long record on racial issues and opposition to federal funding for interracial busing in the U.S. Senate,” according to the Miami Herald.
“I do not believe you are a racist, and I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground,” Harris railed at Biden, who was clearly taken by surprise. “But I also believe, and it’s personal, and it was actually very hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country. And it was not only that but you also worked with them to oppose busing.”
“There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to schools every day, and that little girl was me. Vice President Biden, do agree today, do you agree today that you were wrong to oppose busing in America then? Do you agree?” Harris asked.
Biden, taken aback, tried to explain that he wasn’t against integration, but against a Federal government order that would have superceded state rules and regulations, forcing local school districts to adopt anti-segregation busing policies through the Department of Education. Days after the confrontation, clearly still suffering from the fallout, Biden apologized for working with high-profile legislators who remained ardent segregationists well after the passage of the Civil Rights act.
Harris’ gambit, though, is clear: now that Biden is the front-runner, he is obligated to begin the process of selecting a running mate, and Harris is among those experts have named as possible vice presidential candidates.