Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday named Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his running mate less than a week before the start of the Democratic National Convention.

Harris was the second black woman ever elected to the Senate and has served as senator since January 2017.

During her Senate career, Harris was known for her tough questioning of Trump officials, such as Attorney Generals William Barr and Jeff Sessions, and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. More recently, she voiced support of police reform following the death of George Floyd.

She obtained a law degree from the University of California, Hastings, and a bachelor's from Howard University, and served as California's attorney general from 2011 to 2017.

Harris, 55, was born in Oakland, California the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants. She is married but does not have children. Her sister Maya Harris, is an MSNBC political analyst.

Harris, who filled the seat of Sen. Barbara Boxer, launched a presidential campaign in January 2019. After failing to gain traction in Iowa, she suspended her campaign in December after weak fundraising totals.

It was unclear whether Biden would choose Harris due to their contentious history during the primaries. During a Democratic presidential primary debate in Miami in June 2019, Harris criticized Biden for his opposition to mandatory school desegregation busing in the 1970s. She also slammed Biden for working with segregationist senators during his political career.

In a recent photo, Biden seemed to be holding a note with Harris' name at the top, with phrases: "Do not hold grudges" and "great respect for her."

Harris is further to the left than Biden on political issues. She previously supported progressive stances such as Medicare For All and marijuana legalization.

Top choices for Biden had included not only Harris, but also former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, Rep. Karen Bass of California and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Other prominent choices were New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Georgia House Speaker Stacey Abrams and Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. A more progressive option would have been Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Biden’s choice was seen as crucial due to his age — he turns 78 on Nov. 20 — and because of speculation that he would only serve one term. Harris could be the Democratic presidential candidate in 2024 if Biden defeats President Trump on Nov. 3.

Biden had pledged to choose a woman as his running mate and was under pressure to make that choice a Black woman. Trump suggested Tuesday men might be offended by Biden’s decision to limit his running mate search to women.

Trump told Fox Sports Radio Biden had “roped himself into” selecting a woman.

Trump said Biden made a mistake by announcing early in the campaign he would choose a woman as his running mate.

“Some people would say that men are insulted by that, and some people would say it’s fine. I don’t know,” Trump said.

The Trump campaign will be eager to target Harris. In recent weeks, Trump has suggested Biden is a puppet of the radical left and that he is “against God.”

Biden served as vice president under former President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017. He served as a U.S. senator representing Delaware from 1973 to 2009.

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