On Aug. 5, Vice President Kamala Harris formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination—becoming the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket, the Associated Press noted.
The historic moment came after a chaotic period for Harris’ political party that started in June because of a debate performance by President Joe Biden that many—including Democrats—viewed as disastrous. Biden eventually decided to withdraw from running for a second consecutive term. At than point, Harris and her team worked feverishly to secure backing from the 1,976 party delegates needed to clinch the nomination in a formal roll-call vote. A survey of delegates revealed that she locked down the necessary commitments only 32 hours after Biden’s announcement.
And on Aug. 6, she named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, according to four people close to the process, per CNN.
Although Harris does not plan to deviate much from what Biden has espoused regarding issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, her sometimes fiery manner and the fact that she is new blood have energized the Democrats.
Walz is a former educator and Army National Guard member who is currently in his second term as Minnesota governor; in addition, he chairs the Democratic Governors Association. He previously served 12 years in Congress, representing a conservative-leaning rural district that, both before and after his tenure, has been mostly dominated by Republicans.