Kamala Harris runs into Joe Biden on Amtrak, and now people want them to be running mates

Reactions abounded when Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., ran into former Vice President Joe Biden on Amtrak this week. Reactions abounded when Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., ran into former Vice President Joe Biden on Amtrak this week. Photo: Screenshot Via Twitter Photo: Screenshot Via Twitter Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Kamala Harris runs into Joe Biden on Amtrak, and now people want them to be running mates 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., ran into former Vice President Joe Biden on Amtrak this week, and her sister Maya was there to capture the moment.

"Just another Thursday on Amtrak!" tweeted Maya Harris, with a picture of Biden and her sister mid-conversation on the train.

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Biden has a well-documented love of trains, Amtrak in particular (hence the nickname "Amtrak Joe"). He was known for commuting between Delaware and Washington, D.C. by train for decades.

Harris staffer Kirstie Allen also snapped a pic.

"Can't take Amtrak without running into its most frequent traveler, @JoeBiden," she wrote on Twitter.

The run-in made some people ponder the duo's viability as 2020 running mates. With his strong name recognition, Biden is an early frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic primary based on early polling — though he still has not formally declared his candidacy.

"Now, that's a winning ticket," wrote Alex Alarcon on Twitter.

Click through the gallery above for more reactions

A Quinnipiac University poll released this week found that 58 percent of Democrat or Democratic-leaning California voters would be excited if Harris received the nomination, and 60 percent would be excited about Biden. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tied for third.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter