Vice-President Kamala Harris leads list of contenders for spots on Democratic ticket

President Joe Biden steps down, opening the door for contenders like Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee. Know the other possible candidates

President Joe Biden's decision to step down as the Democratic Party's nominee for President opens the door for other contenders to become the Democratic nominee in November. The President has thrown his support behind Vice-President Kamala Harris, and other prominent Democrats moved quickly to rally around her candidacy, but it's unclear just how smooth her path to the party's nomination is.

Also Read: Joe Biden withdraws from presidential race: LIVE update

Here are some of the leading contenders for a spot on the Democratic ticket:

Born in Oakland, California, Vice-President Kamala Harris calls Thurgood Marshall an inspiration and talks often about growing up with parents deeply involved in the civil rights movement. Ms. Harris, 59, is married to Los Angeles lawyer Douglas Emhoff.

Her economist father and cancer specialist mother met as graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, where Ms. Harris recalled they spent ample time "marching and shouting about this thing called justice.” In choosing Ms. Harris as his running mate in 2020, Mr. Biden called her a “fearless fighter for the little guy.” She has not wavered as his Vice-Presidential nominee and has become more visible campaigning for the Biden-Harris ticket in recent weeks.

Ms. Harris, who is Black and also of South Asian descent, is the nation's first female Vice-President and the first person of colour to hold that office. A graduate of Howard University, she also is the first person from a historically Black college or university to hold the office of either President or Vice-President.

Ms. Harris won her seat in the U.S. Senate in 2016 after twice being elected California attorney general. As a Senate candidate, she stressed her fights with big banks during the mortgage crisis, for-profit colleges that were financially exploiting students and environmental wrongdoers.