kamla Harris has seen a lot of Firsts I kamla Harris do solemnly swear she was the first black woman elected district attorney for San Francisco in 2004 were forced to press charges and the first woman to be California's attorney general fighting to make sure those words always ring true in 2017 she became the first Indian American elected to the United States Senate that I will support and defend the constitution of United States then kamla Harris took all of those firsts to the White House we did it Joe she began as a Challenger for the nomination there was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was busted to school every day and that little girl was me but ultimately suspended her own lackluster campaign and became a running mate who towed the party line a friend of Joe Biden's late sunbo the then Senator brought Youth and diversity to a ticket headed by an older white man while her previous Life as a tough on crime prosecutor was an added advantage to a race centered on Law and Order she served as Joe Biden's vice president since 2020 while I may be the first woman in this office I will not be the last her policies are progressive I will always fight for a woman's right to make a decision about her her own body we have to take on the climate crisis and we have to also lower monthly energy bills well the investment we're talking about today we'll do both but she's struggled in the polls the vice president has an approval rating of around 38% mirroring that of Joe Biden despite the backing of her tight-knit African-American college sorority news polls indicate Kamala Harris is as popular with black voters as her predecessor she's been accused of being absent as vice president and an unconvincing public speaker we've been to the Border we've been to the Border you haven't been to the Border I and I haven't been to Europe but Kamala Harris is now running full steam ahead for the most powerful position in the United States a position the California Native has had in her sights for many years she's the daughter of immigrants raised by a single mom in the midst of the civil rights movement and had been tipped to take over after the president President's first four years but Joe Biden wouldn't be drawn on why he initially refused to hand her the Reigns what changed was the gravity of the situation I inherited there's no denying taking on Donald Trump in November will be a challenge for the Democratic party well this here is the one the most existential consequential and important election of our lifetime 59-year-old kamla Harris has had a lot of titles in her time some unexpected I wouldn't have picked vice president Trump to be vice president others nicknames from her stepchildren so they call me marala but today the lawyer turned Democratic nominee hopes the next will be president of the United States of America Melissa McCay ABC [Applause] News for