Biden’s pick for VP has the potential to unite the Democratic Party, Jasmine Razeghi writes.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden recently revealed that his pick for Vice President is down to four Black women. Many voters invested interest in who Biden will choose as it could make or break his following and reveal what a Biden presidency might look like.
Biden told Joy Reid on “The ReidOut”, “I am not committed to naming any [of the potential candidates], but the people I’ve named, and among them there are four Black women.”
Amidst increasing racial tensions and injustice in the United States, many groups pushed Biden to choose a Black woman as his VP. Over 200 Black women, who are leaders or activists in the Democratic Party, penned an open letter to Biden asking that he choose a Black woman as his running mate.
Who Is Being Considered?
Among the long list of names that many predict are on the list for potential Vice Presidents, there are a number Black women that could be among the final four Biden mentioned. This includes Senator Kamala Harris, Mayor Keisha Lancebottoms, Representative Val Demmings, Former Representative Stacey Abrams, and Former Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice.
Other women on the list include Senator Elizabeth Warren, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Senator Tammy Baldwin. Undoubtedly, many eyes are on all prominent women in politics since Biden’s declared that his VP will certainly be a woman during a CNN-Univision debate in D.C. in March.
Who Has Withdrawn Their Consideration?
As the names of women politicians circulate, some stepped forward and withdrew their consideration as Biden’s VP.
In June, Senator Amy Klobuchar withdrew from consideration as VP and called on Joe Biden to choose a woman of color. “I truly believe … this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket,” she said on MSNBC. “There are so many incredibly qualified women. But if you want to heal this nation right now. My party, yes, but our nation, this is sure a hell of way to do it,” she added.
She joined Senator Catherine Cortez Masto who cited the need for her focus to be on the economy of Nevada, a state hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. “I will continue to focus on getting Nevadans the support they need to get back on their feet,” she said in a statement.
Uniting The Democratic Party
While a woman of color would be an important and historical choice for Vice President, none of the women of color on the list of potential picks support policies as progressive as Senator Elizabeth Warren. Warren led a progressive campaign in 2020 and suspended her campaign in early March, standing behind Biden shortly after.
Many young voters felt excitement about voting for what could have been the most progressive U.S. presidency as Senator Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren were top candidates during the race. On the other hand, Biden is a moderate democrat who does not support the progressive policies of Warren and Sanders, who both pushed for Medicare For All and the Green New Deal.
Biden recently announced a $2 trillion progressive plan to address climate change and some consider it as progressive as the Green New Deal. This step from Biden shows his willingness to work with progressives.
While Warren is a white woman, she still has a chance at being Biden’s Vice President. If chosen, her Vice Presidency could unite the Democratic Party by bringing progressive and moderate democrats together at the ballot box in November.