Kamala Harris likely has a running mate earmarked already after Joe Biden sensationally announced his decision to withdraw from the US presidential race, according to Republican Overseas UK spokesperson Sarah Elliot.
The 81-year-old endorsed his Vice President (VP) to take the reins of the Democratic nomination after he made his decision to step down.
In a statement, the US president said it is “in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down”.
Speaking on GB News, Elliot said Harris has already selected her running mate.
Joe Biden has backed Kamala Harris
GETTY / GB NEWS
“She is his vice president and she has been with him the last four years, so it definitely makes sense”, she told Andrew Doyle.
“My sources are telling me her likely running mate is Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, who is a former astronaut.
“His wife is a former US congresswoman who was very tragically shot on a campaign stop.
“That would definitely shake things up and be a mix-up, to add a swing state to the ticket.”
With Kelly being from a swing state, adding him to the ticket would have its advantages for the Democrats.
The 60-year-old has been a staunch Biden advocate throughout the campaign and would likely back his endorsed pick.
Sarah Elliot joined Andrew Doyle on GB News
GB NEWS
Kamala Harris’s popularity was then thrown into question on GB News, with Doyle citing her unsuccessful push for the presidency in 2020.
Elliot said the Democrats will desperately seek to regain the initiative by focusing their campaign efforts on three key issues.
“They are going to use the woman vote, abortion as the issue, reproductive rights”, she said.
“They will say this is the time to break that glass ceiling and beat a convicted sex offender in Donald Trump.
Joe BidenREUTERS
“They will bring out all those feminist arguments for electing Harris.”
In a post on his social media account, he said: “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
In a separate letter posted to X, Biden said it had been the greatest honour of his life to serve as president.
“And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling the duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
He said in his statement he would address the nation on the matter next week, adding: “For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
“I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”