Washington, D.C. — Several months after confirming he would choose a female running mate, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has named California senator and former fellow presidential candidate Kamala Harris as his running mate.

Harris’ nomination comes as a major milestone in politics, as her nomination makes her the first Black woman and person of Indian descent in US history to be on a presidential ticket for a major party. She is also the fourth woman to be part of a major party’s presidential nomination.

The former vice president’s choice for his own vice president comes as a surprise for many, as during a June 2019 debate Harris confronted Biden over his record on racial issues, namely integration bussing. She later came under criticism for being “too harsh” on Biden’s record due to her comments, though she argued the backlash against her comments was unjustified as “it’s just politics.”

This sparked a debate that brought up Harris’ controversial history as a prosecutor during her time as the San Francisco district attorney in 2003, then California attorney general in 2010 before running for her current Senate position in 2016. Criticism of Harris’ previous policies focus on her claims to be a “progressive” prosecutor, though her track record includes her opposition to her office independently investigating fatal police shootings.

However, Harris’ record as a Senator is seen as more favorable, given her support for numerous progressive issues and reforms, as well as her active involvement and pointed questioning in numerous high-profile Senate hearings investigating the Trump administration as part of the Intelligence committee. She is also known for her participation on the Judicial committee, which oversaw the vetting and Supreme Court nominations of Neil Gorsach in 2016 and Bruce Kavanagh in 2018.

The conversation around Harris’ past politics as a prosecutor seemingly ended in Dec. 2019, when Harris suspended her campaign, though they are bound to return into the national conversation with her VP nomination and universal increased interest in judicial reform following the tragic death of George Floyd this past May at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.