Video shows South Asians for Biden supporter's raw reaction to VP pick Kamala Harris
"I feel seen and heard today." Co-California State Director of South Asians for Biden breaks down in tears after Joe Biden announces Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- By now you know the news: California Senator Kamala Harris has been tapped as former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate.
It's a historic pick. Harris is the first Black woman and first Indian American woman on a presidential ticket.
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While Harris is sure to take renewed scrutiny by her critics for her years as a prosecutor (President Trump has already dubbed her "phony Kamala"), the announcement that she will be the presumptive Vice Presidential nominee was overwhelming to many of Harris' supporters. Harini Krishnan, the Co-California State Director of South Asians for Biden, burst into tears when she learned the news.
"For those of us who worked on her campaign, as a woman, as a woman of color, as an Indian American," Krishnan told ABC7 News through tears, just minutes after the announcement. "I can't tell you what this feels like."
Krishan said the decision to pick Harris is a reminder of the importance of representation.
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"I feel seen and heard today," she said. "One of the reasons why I began organizing for Kamala was because I saw myself in her; was because my daughters see themselves in her. And I think for women of color around the country today, they feel seen and heard."
Harris was one of several women Biden was considering for the Vice Presidential spot. Political strategists said Harris checked all the boxes: She has name recognition, experience on a national stage, has fundraising strength and she's a woman of color. Critics went after Harris' ambition and shifting political positions.
Krishan believes Harris is the winning ticket.
"She is going to energize the base, she is going to electrify the base," she said. "She is going to bring people out on to the streets. I can guarantee you that."
