Less than four months out from the election, Vice-President Kamala Harris found herself in a difficult position.

President Joe Biden's poor performance on the debate stage spurred mounting criticism about his ability to win the election. As anxiety turned to tension within the Democratic party, her name rose up the list of replacement candidates.

With Mr Biden’s announcement that he will be ending his campaign and putting his support behind her, Ms Harris has finally reached a position she’d long sought: the top of the Democratic ticket, and potentially the presidency.

But the journey there has been fraught and full of difficult questions, especially in recent months.

Four years ago, the one-time candidate for the Democratic nomination would have welcomed the party's praises. By July 2024, Harris was in a more precarious position as part of an embattled incumbent ticket, her chances of another term tethered to Mr Biden’s performance.

In the 24 hours after the debate debacle, Ms Harris chose strong loyalty to Mr Biden.

The vice-president spoke on CNN, MSNBC and at a campaign rally. She defended her political partner's record and attacked their opponent, former President Donald Trump.

“We believe in our president, Joe Biden, and we believe in what he stands for,” she said at the rally.

Ms Harris never wavered as a new well of support within the Democratic party pushed her into the spotlight and critics pressed Mr Biden to retire.

Still, it’s a second chance at a presidential campaign for the first woman as well as the first black and Asian-American to serve as vice-president.

Despite struggling to appeal to voters in 2020 and having low approval ratings during her tenure as vice president, Ms Harris' supporters point to her advocacy for reproductive rights, appeal among black voters and her background as a prosecutor who would be running against a now-convicted felon to make the case for her serving as commander-in-chief.

"I believe she has been instrumental in addressing key issues such as voting rights and immigration reform," Nadia Brown, director of Georgetown University's Women's and Gender Studies Program, said.

"She has also been Biden's most powerful surrogate on issues of abortion access and outreach to black communities."

Just five years ago, Ms Harris was the senator from California hoping to win the Democratic nomination for presidency.

She began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and became the district attorney - the top prosecutor - for San Francisco in 2003, before being elected the first woman and the first black person to serve as California's attorney general, the top lawyer and law enforcement official in America's most populous state.

She gained a reputation as one of the Democratic party's........

© BBC