Democratic candidate for President Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) arrives for a town hall-style event at Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas, Nev.
, in March 2019. Melina Mara/The Washington Post President Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race Sunday, endorsing his running mate, Vice President Harris, to take his place. In a statement posted on X, Biden offered his “full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.
” And Harris subsequently said that she intends to pursue the presidential nomination. The historic move comes after Biden faced growing calls from within the Democratic Party to step aside after his halting performance at his first presidential debate against former president Donald Trump last month. Harris is the first woman, first Black person and first Asian American to ascend to the vice presidency.
Now, Biden’s endorsement could put her on track to become the first female president. Here is what you should know about Harris, including her history of barrier-breaking firsts. This January 1970 photo provided by the Kamala Harris campaign shows her, left, with her sister, Maya, and mother, Shyamala, outside their apartment in Berkeley, Calif.
, after her parents' separation. (Kamala Harris campaign via AP) Harris was born in Oakland, Calif., in 1964.
Her parents, Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from India, and Donald Harris, an economist from Jamaica, immigrated to the United States and met while pursui.