前副总统乔·拜登和参议员卡马拉·哈里斯一起出现在第一次作为跑步伙伴周三下午，在特拉华州的威尔明顿，人们的注意力主要集中在哈里斯身上，她是一个主要政党的第一位黑人女性和亚裔美国女性。
他们戴着面具一起走进来，伴随着柯蒂斯·梅菲尔德的歌曲“继续前进”，然后拜登开始说他们是在“按规矩办事”，采取预防措施应对流感大流行。
“她是一个久经考验的斗士，”当哈里斯坐在讲台后面的一把椅子上观看时，拜登说。在讲台上，一名候选人可以坐下，而另一名候选人可以在当地的高中体育馆里讲话。美国、州和地区的国旗作为背景。
拜登说:“她已经准备好在第一天做这项工作。”
拜登说:“我们在今年11月做出的选择将在很长很长一段时间内决定美国的未来。”“我毫不怀疑，我选择了一个合适的人和我一起成为下一任美国副总统，那就是参议员卡马拉·哈里斯。”
拜登继续说:“今天早上，在全国各地，小女孩醒来，尤其是小黑人和棕色皮肤的女孩，他们经常感到被忽视和低估在他们的社区。”“但今天，也许是今天，他们第一次以一种新的方式看待自己，把自己当成总统和副总统。”
乔·拜登:“2021年1月20日，我们都将看到哈里斯参议员举起右手，宣誓就职，成为美国第一位担任第二高级职务的女性...然后我们开始工作。”https://t.co/L8ujFIudx9pic.twitter.com/0APT520OON
——美国广播公司新闻政治(@美国广播公司政治)2020年8月12日
拜登拉开窗帘，把他邀请哈里斯加入他的竞选比作巴拉克·奥巴马2008年第一次邀请拜登参加副总统竞选时，他说哈里斯和他一样，将是最后一个到场的人。
“当我同意成为奥巴马总统的竞选伙伴时，他问了我很多问题，就像我问卡玛拉一样。最重要的是，他对我说，他问我想要什么，最重要的是。我告诉他，在他作出重要决定之前，我想做最后一个人。”
“这就是我问卡玛拉的。我请卡玛拉做房间里的最后一个声音，总是告诉我真相，她会的。如果她不同意，挑战我的假设。问一些难的问题。因为这是我们为美国人民做出最好决定的方式。”
随后，拜登将发言权移交给了哈里斯，哈里斯重复了她在接受提名时告诉拜登的话。
哈里斯说:“就像我说的，乔，当你打电话给我的时候，我为这份责任感到无比荣幸，我已经准备好开始工作了。”
“乔，我很骄傲能和你站在一起。她继续说:“我非常怀念我之前的所有英雄和雄心勃勃的妇女，她们的牺牲、决心和坚韧使我今天能够来到这里。”
卡马拉·哈里斯:“我非常荣幸能担负起这份责任，我已经准备好开始工作了……乔，我很骄傲能和你站在一起，我也很想念我面前的所有英雄和雄心勃勃的女性。”https://t.co/L8ujFIudx9pic.twitter.com/JIpw8LUV9t
——美国广播公司新闻政治(@美国广播公司政治)2020年8月12日
“美国迫切需要领导力，”她说，“但我们的总统更关心自己，而不是选举他的人。”
卡马拉哈里斯:“美国迫切需要领导，然而我们的总统更关心自己，而不是选举他的人。”
“仅仅83天，我们就有机会为我们的国家选择一个更美好的未来。”https://t.co/L8ujFIudx9pic.twitter.com/zzssDxwp2X
——美国广播公司新闻政治(@美国广播公司政治)2020年8月12日
哈里斯说她和拜登是“天生一对”，指的是家庭在他们生活中扮演的重要角色。她说拜登的电话让她想起了第一个和她密切合作的拜登，拜登已故的儿子博。
“我很快就知道博是那种能激励人们成为更好的自己的人。”他真的是我们中最好的。当我问他，‘你从哪里得到的?“这是从哪里来的，””哈里斯说。他总是谈论他的父亲。"
哈里斯用她的名字开玩笑说，她职业生涯中有过五次头衔，但“马马拉”的头衔永远是最重要的。
作为前检察官，她展示了自己的一些技巧，通过猛烈抨击总统的冠状病毒反应，为反对特朗普政府辩护。
她说:“让我告诉你，作为一个已经在法庭上提出了我的合理的论点的人，反对唐纳德·特朗普和迈克·彭斯的案子是公开的和不公开的。”“这种病毒几乎影响了每个国家，但它对美国的影响比任何其他发达国家都要严重，这是有原因的。这是因为特朗普从一开始就没有认真对待这个问题。”
她继续说:“由于特朗普的领导失败，我们的经济在所有主要工业化国家中遭受了最大的打击之一。”“但让我们说清楚。这次选举不仅仅是为了击败唐纳德·特朗普或迈克·彭斯。而是要把这个国家建设得更好。”
哈里斯是一个移民家庭的孩子，她说她的父亲来自牙买加，母亲来自印度，他们来到美国“是为了寻求世界一流的教育。”
她说:“但将他们聚集在一起的是20世纪60年代的民权运动。”
哈里斯回忆起她父母带她和她妹妹去抗议的时候。她说她母亲让他们相信“继续前进是我们的责任，也是每一代美国人的责任。”
“她会告诉我们，不要坐以待毙，抱怨事情，做点什么。所以我做了些什么，”哈里斯说。“30年前，我第一次站在法官面前，深深地吸了一口气，说出了一句将真正指导我余下职业生涯的话:为了人民，卡玛拉·哈里斯。”
记者们从社会距离较远的圈子里观望，支持者们从外面倾听。
就在拜登被迫于周二通过视频通话做出提升自己的历史性举动时，他们周三的联合亮相看起来与之前的副总统声明大相径庭。两人说完话后，他们向前走去，然后向前来加入他们的配偶打招呼——但拜登和哈里斯并没有像典型的政治团队那样举起双臂。
拜登和哈里斯晚上还参加了一个“虚拟草根”筹款活动。
周四早上，当哈里斯和她的丈夫道格离开他们在华盛顿特区的公寓前往威尔明顿时，她没有发表任何评论。
哈里斯为年轻、进步的选民提供了激励的前景，这些选民曾悲叹拜登是总统候选人。哈里斯现年55岁，比77岁的拜登年轻20多岁，他是否会与民主党总统候选人搭档，还有待观察。
他们周三的联合讲话正好在哈里斯预定在民主党全国代表大会上发表讲话的一周前，由于流感大流行，这次会议基本上是虚拟的。
据拜登竞选团队的副数字总监说，在拜登宣布哈里斯为他的副总统人选后的几分钟内，拜登竞选团队经历了迄今为止最棒的筹款时刻。
为了营造势头，拜登-哈里斯竞选团队周三发布了一段视频，展示了哈里斯接受拜登提议的那一刻。
在视频中，拜登坐在办公桌前。他在对着笔记本电脑说话前摘下面罩。
拜登在视频连线中说:“很抱歉让你久等了。”“你准备好去上班了吗?
哈里斯停顿了一会儿，然后说:“哦，我的上帝。我已经准备好去工作了。”
“首先，答案是肯定的吗?”拜登问道。
“答案绝对是肯定的。我准备好工作了。我准备好为你和你一起做这件事了。我感到非常荣幸，也非常激动。”
。@KamalaHarris是自豪的移民的女儿——一位来自印度的母亲和一位来自牙买加的父亲——是他们抚养她采取行动的。
这正是此刻所需要的:行动。我们希望你能和我们一起行动:https://t.co/K3mVwfTxXJpic.twitter.com/MZLAx9IN6C
——乔·拜登(@JoeBiden)2020年8月12日
特朗普和彭斯做出反应
唐纳德·特朗普总统对即将到来的选举做了一个预告，他很快对哈里斯进行了辱骂，称其为“下流”，称她在初选辩论中对拜登和希拉里都不尊重Brett Kavanaugh在最高法院的听证会上。
“我认为她是美国参议院中最卑鄙、最可怕、最不尊重他人的人，”特朗普在周二的新闻发布会上称哈里斯为“骗子。”
但在最初的24小时里，特朗普团队作为一个整体似乎难以在哈里斯身上传递信息。
共和党全国委员会周三晚间发出了一封关于哈里斯选秀权的电子邮件，标题是“自由主义者反抗拜登”。但几乎就在同一时间，一名RNC全国发言人在推特上称，哈里斯“完全被激进左翼所控制。”
副总统迈克·彭斯在亚利桑那州梅萨的一次竞选活动中对这一消息做出了第一反应。
彭斯笑着说:“让我借此机会欢迎她参加比赛。”“乔·拜登和民主党已经被激进的左派所取代，所以他们承诺提高税收、开放边境、公费医疗和按需堕胎。”毫不奇怪，他选择了参议员哈里斯作为他的竞选伙伴。”
彭斯还调侃了10月7日在犹他州举行的第一次副总统辩论，并补充道:“祝贺你。”我们在盐湖城见。”
前竞选对手
在民主党初选期间，哈里斯——竞选中唯一的黑人女性——在一场辩论中表现出色，成为头号竞争者。在辩论中，她指责拜登过去在20世纪70年代忙于解决取消学校种族隔离问题上的立场。
“加利福尼亚有一个小女孩，她是公立学校第二班的一员，每天都要坐公共汽车去上学。那个小女孩就是我。”
辩论结束后，拜登称赞了哈里斯，称她是“第一流的知识分子、第一流的候选人和真正的竞争对手。”
哈里斯在12月初中止了她的总统竞选，并在拜登的超级星期二大获全胜后支持他。她是他在大流行背景下竞选的顶级代理人和筹款人。
她在拜登的最后一次拜登竞选集会上发表了讲话，随后COVID-19在三月份基本上关闭了竞选路线。
Biden and Harris make 1st appearance as historic Democratic ticket
Former Vice PresidentJoe Bidenand Sen. Kamala Harris appeared together for thefirst time as running matesWednesday afternoon in Wilmington, Delaware, where much of the focus was on Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American woman on the ticket of a major political party.
They walked in together wearing masks, accompanied by the Curtis Mayfield song "Move On Up," before Biden began his remarks saying they were "playing by the rules," taking precautions due to the pandemic.
"She's a proven fighter," Biden said, as Harris watched from a chair set up well behind the lectern where one candidate could sit while the other spoke in a local high school gym. U.S., state and territory flags served as the backdrop.
"She's ready to do this job on Day One," Biden said.
"The choice we make this November is going to decide the future of America for a very, very long time," Biden said. "I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next vice president of the United States of America, and that's Senator Kamala Harris."
"This morning, all across the nation, little girls woke up, especially little Black and brown girls, who so often feel overlooked and undervalued in their communities," Biden continued. "But today -- today, just maybe, they're seeing themselves for the first time in a new way -- as the stuff of presidents and vice presidents."
Joe Biden: "On January 20th, 2021, we're all going to watch Senator Harris raise her right hand and swear the oath of office as the first woman ever to serve in the second highest office in America...and then we're going to get to work."https://t.co/L8ujFIudx9pic.twitter.com/0APT520OON
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics)August 12, 2020
Biden pulled back the curtain and compared his asking Harris to join him on the ticket to when Barack Obama first asked Biden to take the vice presidential slot in 2008, saying Harris, like him, would be the last person in the room.
"When I agreed to serve as President Obama's running mate he asked me a number of questions, as I've asked Kamala. The most important one was, he said to me, he asked me what I wanted, most importantly. I told him I wanted to be the last person in the room before he made the important decisions," Biden said.
"That's what I asked Kamala. I asked Kamala to be the last voice in the room, to always tell me the truth, which she will. Challenge my assumptions if she disagrees. Ask the hard questions. Because that's the way we make the best decisions for the American people," he continued.
Biden then turned the floor over to Harris who repeated what she told Biden when accepting her spot on the ticket.
"As I said, Joe, when you called me, I am incredibly honored by this responsibility and I'm ready to get to work," Harris said.
"Joe, I'm so proud to stand with you. And I do so mindful of all the heroic and ambitious women before me whose sacrifice, determination, and resilience makes my presence here today even possible," she continued.
Kamala Harris: "I am incredibly honored by this responsibility and I am ready to get to work … Joe, I'm so proud to stand with you and I do so mindful of all the heroic and ambitions women before me."https://t.co/L8ujFIudx9pic.twitter.com/JIpw8LUV9t
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics)August 12, 2020
"America is crying out for leadership," she said, "yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him."
Kamala Harris: "America is crying out for leadership, yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him."
"In just 83 days we have a chance to choose a better future for our country."https://t.co/L8ujFIudx9pic.twitter.com/zzssDxwp2X
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics)August 12, 2020
Harris said she and Biden are "cut from the same cloth" referring to the significant role family plays in their lives. She said Biden's call reminded her of the first Biden she worked closely with, Biden's late son Beau.
"I learned quickly that Beau was the kind of guy who inspired people to be a better version of themselves. He really was the best of us. And when I would ask him, 'Where did you get that? Where did this come from?'" Harris said. "He'd always talk about his dad."
Playing off her name, Harris said she's had may titles in her career but the title of "Mamala" will always mean the most.
Showing some of her skills as former prosecutor, she argued the case against the Trump administration by slamming the president's coronavirus response.
"Let me tell you, as somebody who has presented my fair share of arguments in court, the case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut," she said. "This virus has impacted almost every country, but there's a reason it has hit America worse than any other advanced nation. It's because of Trump's failure to take it seriously from the start."
"Because of Trump's failures of leadership, our economy has taken one of the biggest hits out of all the major industrialized nations," she continued. "But let's be clear. This election isn't just about defeating Donald Trump or Mike Pence. It's about building this country back better."
Harris, a child of immigrants, also shared that her father, from Jamaica, and her mother, from India, came to America "in search of a world class education."
"But what brought them together was the civil rights movement of the 1960s," she said.
Harris harkened back to when her parents would take her and her sister to protests. She said her mother raised them to believe that "it was up to us and to every generation of Americans to keep on marching."
"She'd tell us, don't sit around and complain about things, do something. So I did something," Harris said. "And 30 years ago, I stood before a judge for the first time, breathed deep and uttered the phrase that would truly guide the rest of my career: Kamala Harris, for the people."
Reporters looked on from inside circles socially-distanced apart and supporters listened from outside.
Just as Biden was forced to make the historic move elevating her via a video call Tuesday, their joint appearance Wednesday looked a lot different from previous vice presidential announcements. After both were done speaking, they walked forward and then greeted their spouses who came to join them -- but Biden and Harris did not join raised arms in the classic image of a political team.
Biden and Harris also were attending a "virtual grassroots" fundraiser in the evening.
Harris had no comment when she and her husband, Doug, left their apartment in Washington, D.C., for Wilmington Thursday morning.
Harris offers the prospect of energizing young, progressive voters who have lamented Biden as the nominee, and it remains to be seen whether Harris, who at age 55 is more than 20 years younger than the 77-year-old Biden, will come across when paired with the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
Their joint remarks Wednesday come exactly one week before Harris is scheduled to address the Democratic National Convention -- now largely a virtual affair because of the pandemic.
In the minutes after Biden announced Harris as his pick for vice president, the Biden campaign had its best hour of fundraising yet, according to the Biden campaign's deputy digital director.
In an effort to build momentum, the Biden-Harris campaign released a video Wednesday showing the moment Harris accepted Biden's offer.
In the video, Biden is shown seated at a desk. He takes off his face mask before speaking into a laptop.
"Sorry to keep you," Biden says in the video connection. "You ready to go to work?
Harris pauses for a moment before saying, "Oh my God. I am so ready to go to work."
"First of all, is the answer yes?" Biden asked.
"The answer is absolutely yes. I am ready to work. I am ready to do this with you for you. I just deeply honored and I'm very excited," she replied.
.@KamalaHarrisis the daughter of proud immigrants—a mother from India and a father from Jamaica—who raised her to take action.
That's exactly what this moment calls for: action. And we hope you'll take action with us:https://t.co/K3mVwfTxXJpic.twitter.com/MZLAx9IN6C
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden)August 12, 2020
Trump and Pence react
Offering a preview of what's to come heading into the election, President Donald Trump was quick to fire insults at Harris, whom he called "nasty," saying she had disrespected both Biden in the primary debates as well asBrett Kavanaughin his Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
undefinedMORE: The Note: Harris makes history, as Biden builds his 'bridge'
"I thought she was the meanest, the most horrible, most disrespectful of anybody in the U.S. Senate," Trump said at a news conference Tuesday labelling Harris as "phony."
But in its first 24 hours, the Trump team as a whole appeared to struggle with its messaging on Harris.
The Republican National Committee on Wednesday evening sent out an email about the Harris pick with the headline "liberals revolt against Biden" But at nearly the same exact time, an RNC national spokesperson tweeted claiming Harris was "completely controlled by radical left."
Vice President Mike Pence offered his first reaction to the news while at a campaign event in Mesa, Arizona.
"Let me take this opportunity to welcome her to the race," Pence said to laughter. "Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have been overtaken by the radical left, so given their promises of higher taxes, open borders, socialized medicine and abortion on demand. It's no surprise that he chose Senator Harris to be his running mate."
Pence also teased the first the vice presidential debate on Oct. 7 in Utah, adding to his message, "Congratulations. I'll see you in Salt Lake City."
Former campaign trail rivals
During the Democratic primary campaign, Harris -- the sole Black woman in the running -- was amplified as a top contender following a debate performance in which she took Biden to task over his past stances on busing to address desegregating schools in the 1970s.
"There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to school every day. That little girl was me," Harris said at the time.
undefinedMORE: Kamala Harris: Everything you need to know about the 2020 presidential candidate
Following the debate, Biden complimented Harris, calling her "a first-rate intellect, a first-rate candidate and a real competitor."
Harris suspended her presidential campaign in early December and endorsed Biden after his Super Tuesday sweep. She served as a top surrogate and fundraiser for his campaign amid the pandemic landscape.
She spoke at Biden's final Biden campaign rally before COVID-19 largely shut down the trail in March.
