By now, you know that Donald Trump and Joe Biden are running for president. But neither candidate is in the race alone. They’ve each teamed up with a candidate for vice president.
Last month, Biden picked Senator Kamala Harris of California to join him on the Democratic ticket. Harris is a historic candidate. She is the first Black woman and first Asian American to be chosen by a major party to run on a presidential ticket. Her mother was born in India, and her father is from the island nation of Jamaica.
President Trump’s running mate is Vice President Mike Pence. They make up the Republican ticket.
The vice president holds the second-highest office in the U.S. government. If the president were to die or leave office for any reason, the vice president would take over as the nation’s leader. That has happened nine times in American history. The vice president has other important duties. For example, Vice President Pence has been one of President Trump’s most trusted advisers since they were elected in 2016.
Pence and Harris are scheduled to face each other in a debate on October 7. And they’ll be campaigning to build support for their running mates right up until Election Day, November 3.