Inside Kamala Harris And Beau Biden's Relationship

Before Kamala Harris was Joe Biden's running mate, she was Beau Biden's friend and ally. Harris and the younger Biden knew each other when both were attorneys general — she for the state of California, and he for Delaware. Marie Claire says both were up-and-coming figures in their respective states during the Great Recession of 2008 as well as the housing crisis of 2011. Harris, who had just won the election for attorney general, had decided to pull California out of negotiations for a proposed settlement. And when her detractors, supporters, colleagues (and the White House) questioned her decision, she found a kindred spirit in Beau Biden. In her memoir, The Truths We Hold, Harris wrote (via USA Today), "There were periods, when I was taking the heat, when Beau and I talked every day, sometimes multiple times a day. We had each other's backs."

Doug Gansler, former attorney general of Maryland, told The Daily Beast that the National Mortgage Settlement was a key marker in Biden and Harris' relationship. "That's really where the two of them started to bond," he said. "She was sort of an instant rock star, as Beau was. They were destined to get together and collaborate." The collaboration resulted in more money for the people of both California and Delaware; it also cemented a close working relationship between the two attorneys general, who collaborated on issues ranging from child abuse, sex trafficking, and abuse of elderly patients in nursing homes.

Just four years after the bank settlement which brought Biden and Harris together, Beau Biden, who was just 46 years old, succumbed to brain cancer. He didn't tell anyone about his illness until a few weeks before he passed, and Doug Gansler called Biden's memorial service "devastating" and added, "We were all rocked by the whole thing." 

Kamala Harris took to Instagram to share her grief over his loss, saying: "Over the weekend, I attended the memorial service for my dear friend Beau Biden. It was a moving tribute to Beau, who cared so deeply for his family, the people of Delaware, and our country. I feel fortunate to have known Beau as a friend and to have had the opportunity to work closely with him as Attorneys General. My heart and prayers go out to his family, which he loved so passionately."

It was because of Beau that Joe Biden chose to endorse Kamala Harris as U.S. Senator. And though Biden felt betrayed by Harris during the early presidential debates, Biden rose above it and chose Harris to be his running mate. "Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign," Biden said on Instagram.