Taking the baton from Joe Biden when he stepped out of the presidential race following a string of faltering public performances, Harris is credited with reinvigorating the Democrats and breathing new life into the party.

Officially named the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in early August, Harris was sworn in as vice president on January 20, 2021, becoming the first woman, the first Black American and the first South Asian American to hold that position.

Born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, to immigrant parents, she went on to become an attorney, graduating from Howard University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

She started her legal career in the District Attorney’s office of Alameda County, California, later also serving at the San Francisco DA’s Office, where she later became DA herself.

Harris subsequently became attorney general of California in 2010, overseeing the largest state justice department in the United States and was re-elected to the post four years later.

In 2017, she was sworn into the United States Senate, where she campaigned for healthcare reform, the legalization of cannabis and the DREAM Act, which sought to create a route to citizenship for undocumented migrants.

She also advocated for strict gun control laws and progressive tax reform, as well as serving on the Judiciary Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

In an increasingly punchy election campaign, Harris has repeatedly criticized Trump while also seeking to project a progressive message of hope.

At the weekend, she fired a broadside at those who “sow hate, spread fear and spread chaos.” In a separate address to voters, she struck a more positive note, telling supporters: “I have lived the promise of America. And today, I see the promise of America in everybody who is here. In all of you, in all of us. We are the promise of America.”