In a double twist in American politics, President Joe Biden said he will not run for re-election in November and instead endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris has already made history by becoming the first Black and female vice president in US history, but has faced concerns about whether she can defeat Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.
The next few days will show whether Harris will actually be embraced by the party and chosen as its nominee at the Democratic National Convention next month.
On Sunday, Biden called the decision to select former prosecutor Harris for his 2020 bid “the best decision I've ever made,” while calling on Democrats to support her.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year,” Biden said in a post on X.
Here's what we know about Harris:
Who is she?
Harris, 59, was born in Oakland, California, to an Indian-born mother and a Jamaican-born father.
She attended Howard University in Washington, DC before earning her law degree from the University of California, San Francisco School of Law.
He began working in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office before moving to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office.
She became San Francisco's district attorney in 2003. She was then elected California attorney general, the state's top law enforcement position, in 2010 and was re-elected four years later.
She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 and became a leading critic of Trump, particularly regarding his immigration policies.
Her aggressive questioning of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 helped solidify her credentials as one of the Democratic Party's top rising stars.
Harris is married to attorney Doug Emhoff, who became the first “second gentleman” in U.S. history after the 2020 election. Harris and Emhoff have no children.
How did she become vice president?
Harris initially ran for the White House in the 2020 election but quickly faded in the primary season after lackluster debate performances.
Biden, who consolidated his lead in 2020, promised to choose a woman as his running mate. Harris's choice was seen as an effort to appeal to black voters and energize the party's base.
Harris’ credentials as a law enforcement officer and her centrist approach were also seen as assets that could draw undecided voters away from Trump, though her history also stirred the party’s progressive wing.
In a 2019 debate, Harris also challenged Biden on race, a viral moment that many thought could have ended her chances of becoming vice president once he became the party's nominee.
How did you make history?
Harris has racked up several superlatives in her career, becoming the first Black woman to hold nearly every office she has held: San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, California senator and vice president.
Harris was also the first daughter of immigrants to be elected vice president.
How has your tenure as vice president been?
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Jennifer Victor, a professor at George Mason University, described Harris as a “very typical vice president.”
Harris has largely applauded the Biden administration's signature policies, including legislation on infrastructure, immigration, gun control and efforts to protect abortion rights.
In particular, Harris has been tasked with leading efforts to stem migration from Central America.
“His popularity hasn’t been very high, but he hasn’t had a lot of press coverage either,” Victor said. “He hasn’t been at the center of political discourse in recent years… but I think what we’re going to see is a massive increase.”
Can he beat Trump?
That remains the big question for Democrats.
Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, DC, said that while Biden has endorsed Harris, that does not mean she will receive the support of the Democratic Party, which has less than a month until its convention begins.
“Democrats may not want to fight at the Chicago convention,” Fisher said. “This seems unseemly, so they may quickly coalesce around Kamala Harris and then look to appoint a vice president who may help them in other areas.”
Recent polls conducted after Biden's weak performance in the debate against Trump do not suggest Harris is more likely than Biden to beat Trump in November. Harris' supporters have argued that those polls may change now that Biden is out of the race.
For example, an Economist/YouGov poll released last week found that Biden would lose to Trump by 41 percent to 43 percent, while Harris would lose to Trump by 39 percent to 44 percent.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that both Biden and Harris scored the same against Trump: a statistical toss-up.
Why has it been controversial?
Harris has described herself as a “progressive prosecutor,” but has made little inroads with the party’s progressive wing.
While Harris has overseen some reforms in her career, critics have accused her of, at best, taking a mixed approach to her policies.
That included a controversial initiative to curb truancy as San Francisco district attorney, in which parents faced penalties for their children missing school.
Her office also worked to prevent the release of more prisoners, despite massive overcrowding in California prisons. And as the state’s attorney general, Harris defended the use of the death penalty in California, despite being personally against it.
Long hailed as the future of the Democratic Party, Harris has also faced criticism for failing to live up to expectations. Critics have said she lacks the charisma needed to mobilize the party.
What is your position on Israel's war in Gaza?
On Israel-Palestine, Harris has remained faithful to the Biden administration's “ironclad” support for Israel and has regularly defended Israel's right to self-defense, including during the war in Gaza.
He is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week when he visits the United States.
Still, Harris has been one of the most outspoken members of the administration about the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the enclave. In March, she became the highest-ranking member of the administration to use the word “ceasefire” to call for a humanitarian pause in the fighting.
