Kamala Harris secures Democratic presidential nomination, picks Minnesota Gov Tim Walz as running mate

WASHINGTON — US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, has formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination becoming the first Indian-American to win the nomination from a major political party and chose Minnesota Gov Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday.

Harris, 59, would face Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump, 78, in the general elections scheduled to be held on November 5.

Also read: Kamala Harris turns down Trump’s election debate proposal

Harris picked Minnesota Govenor Tim Walz, 60, to be her running mate on Tuesday morning ahead of the Philadelphia rally, Washington Post said quoting sources.

Walz has served 12 years in Congress before he became Minnesota governor in 2018.

Earlier last month, Harris abruptly thrust into the role of presidential candidate after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race for the White House.

Harris’ nomination became official on Monday night after she received 99 per cent of the votes of the pledged and automatic delegates at the conclusion of the roll call vote after a five-day round of online balloting by Democratic National Convention delegates.

As many as 4,567 delegates from across the country cast their vote for Harris.

The next steps in the nominating process include the certification of the roll call by the Democratic National Convention (DNC) secretary Jason Rae, and the acceptance of the nomination by Harris and her running mate, certified by DNC Chair (DNCC) Minyon Moore.

The Convention is to be held in Chicago from August 19 to 22.

“With the support of 99 per cent of all participating delegates in the virtual roll call, Vice President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our party’s nominee,’ DNC chair Jaime Harrison and DNCC chair Minyon Moore said in a joint statement.

Last Friday, Harris was declared the 2024 presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party after she won enough votes from Democratic delegates in a virtual roll call.

A step away from breaking the last glass ceiling of the United States, Harris became the first ever woman of colour to be on the top of a presidential ticket of a major American political party.

She is also the first ever Indian American to be nominated as presidential candidate of either the Republican or the Democratic Party.

Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was Indian and her father, Donald Jasper Harris, a Jamaican; both immigrants to the US.