Joe Biden Has Picked Kamala Harris as Vice President

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has named Kamala Harris as his running mate—the first black woman in the role. In a live broadcast on German television, Director of GMF’s Berlin office Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff explains why Harris was Biden’s logical choice.

According to Kleine-Brockhoff, picking Kamala Harris was a logical choice. “Picking Kamala Harris is a historical decision but at the same time a very defensive or even orthodox one. Joe Biden is picking her to satisfy expectations to nominate a black candidate, expectations that were raised with the protests this summer.”

Harris might boost Biden’s chances of winning. “By picking Harris, Biden has tied a large new voter base to his name. At the same time, Harris comes from the Democratic establishment and has taken rather orthodox Democratic positions in the past,” said Kleine-Brockhoff. She might therefore appeal to those who have had enough of the unconventional style of the current presidency, he argued.

Harris could be an antithesis to Trump. The political style she represents is “predictable, moderate, and well-balanced,” said Kleine-Brockhoff. Besides, in contrast to the other possible candidates for vice president “Harris is used to be in the big media spotlight. With her, Biden is not taking any risks. And he must not take risks. He is 10 points ahead of Trump,” he argued.