Joe Biden announced late Tuesday afternoon that he has selected Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate. The ascendance of Harris, as the first Black woman on the national ticket of a major party, represents a historic advance for gender and racial equality.

Harris has drawn favorable notices for her performance in the first Democratic presidential debate and her tough questioning of Trump officials in the Senate, including Attorney General William Barr. She departed the 2020 presidential primaries last winter when her own campaign faltered.

"I have the great honor to announce that I've picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants — as my running mate, and one of the country's finest public servants — as my running mate," wrote Biden in a tweet naming his choice.

Harris brings both Capitol Hill and law enforcement experience to the Democratic ticket. Before running for the Senate in 2018, she served as California's attorney general and as San Francisco's district attorney.