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Harris, who is the first woman of color on a major party presidential ticket, said she was proud to run with Biden.
“Joe likes to say character is on the ballot. And it’s true,” she said. “When he saw what happened in Charlottesville three years ago today, he knew we were in a battle for the soul of our nation and together with your help, that’s a battle we will win.”
She warned, though, it would take an unprecedented turnout.
“We need more than a victory on Nov. 3,” she said, “we need a mandate that proves the past few years do not represent who we are or who we aspire to be.”
Each candidate spoke for about 15 minutes, combining praise for the other with standard stump speeches excoriating President Donald Trump, particularly his handling of COVID-19, which they blamed for the economic crash.
“He inherited the longest economic expansion in history from Barack Obama and Joe Biden,” Harris said, “and then, like everything else he inherited, he ran it straight into the ground.”
The silence that followed what would have been applause lines, in normal times, underscored the precautions the campaign is taking for COVID-19.
The candidates spoke only to a small group of reporters and staff. A couple of hundred supporters who showed up were kept outside.
Even the candidates’ spouses stayed offstage until after the speeches, though both Biden and Harris talked about the importance of their families, and Biden joked that Harris’ husband, Doug, would make history as the “first second gentleman.”
Both candidates also talked about Biden’s late son, Beau, who was attorney general in Delaware at the same time that Harris was attorney general in California.
Biden admitted that the relationship the two had forged as they took joint legal action against big banks during the Great Recession was a factor in his choice of Harris.
Harris said that the father and son’s devotion to each other was what first impressed her about Biden.
“The love that they shared was incredible to watch,” she said, her voice breaking slightly.
For the most part, Harris was poised and confident, showing the advantage of having run for the top of the ticket herself.
Biden said she is already proving to be a popular choice for vice president, crediting her with a surge in small donor contributions.
He acknowledged the symbolic importance of having her on the ticket as well.
“This morning little girls woke up, especially little Black and brown girls who so often feel overlooked and undervalued,” he said. “Today, they’re seeing themselves in a new way: as the stuff of presidents and vice presidents.”
The event was a prelude to an online fundraiser the candidates hosted from a ballroom at the Hotel Dupont that had been turned into a TV studio for the occasion.
Biden said the campaign had raised $26 million in 24 hours after announcing Harris as his running mate.
A campaign spokesperson added that 150,000 of the contributions came from first-time donors.