WHO WILL JOE BIDEN PICK FOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?
Zoë Wallace
Head of Political and Global Impacts
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Secretary and Outreach Officer
“Above all, do no harm.” This is the advice of Jack Pitney, a politics professor at Claremont Makenna College, who is referring to the critical choice that is to be made this week: the Vice President, or “running mate,” to Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Pitney has stated that the best thing Biden can do to win the election is to pick a candidate who will not be controversial enough to make voters forego their urge to vote for Biden.
On the other hand, Biden’s choice of VP may be the most important part of his campaign. Biden will be the oldest president ever elected in the United States if he wins the election. His choice for Vice President will need to be prepared to take over as President in the case of his death. This essentially means that the American public may be choosing two separate Presidents for office if they vote in Joe Biden. There is a good chance Biden will not choose to run for a second term, so the Vice President may be training to be the next Democratic presidential nominee.
With this in mind, let’s narrow down the list of candidates. Biden has made it clear that his running mate will be a woman, which will make her the first female Vice President of the United States if he wins the election. In an interview with CNN, Rep. Maxine Waters of California stated, "It's going to be historic whomever ever it is. Do I believe that it's going to be an African American woman? I certainly do.” Waters is not alone in this belief, as many others have speculated that Biden is planning to choose an African American woman as his VP.
While each of the proposed candidates has at least one controversial decision or comment on their record, Biden has a pool of many high-achieving, intelligent, and capable women to choose from.
Eleven women have been considered, but people close to the campaign have hinted that his top three candidates are California Senator Kamala Harris, former Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The original group under consideration included Stacey Abrams, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Florida Rep. Val Demings, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Five months ago, Biden began the vetting process, examining interviews and records of the eleven women and considering his choices carefully. Now, Rep. Maxine Waters has stated that “It seems to [her] that they have gotten down to possibly just two. And that is Kamala and that is Susan. So [she] believe[s] it will be one of them.”
Listed below are the three most-likely picks for Biden’s running mate. These will be in order from least to most likely to be picked.
Gretchen Whitmer:
Although it seems highly unlikely that Biden will pick a white woman to be his running mate, if he does, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will probably be his first choice. Since she was elected in a Midwestern state, choosing Whitmer as a running mate could increase his support in this crucial voting area.
Whitmer’s approach to politics is also very similar to Biden’s: they are both pragmatists when it comes to the issues. Whitmer is only 48 years old, so she is part of the “next generation” of Democrats, which may appeal to younger voters. She traveled to Delaware this past weekend to meet Joe Biden, which means that she is one of the final contenders, as only a handful of VP candidates have met with Biden thus far.
A drawback to choosing Whitmer as a running mate is her lack of experience on the national stage. Although officials close to Biden have said that Whitmer has always impressed Biden, she has not been tested in national politics as much as other vice presidential candidates have. Whitmer has also received backlash from her handling of the recent outbreak of protests in her state, making her a more controversial choice.
Susan Rice:
Susan Rice was the US Ambassador to the United Nations during the presidency of Barack Obama. In this position, she gained experience on the national level and was able to work directly with former Vice President Biden. It has been reported that Biden hopes to choose someone that he can have a close working relationship with, similar to the relationship he had with Obama. Susan Rice fits this bill: she is the only candidate with a personal relationship with Joe Biden.
Also, one of Biden’s campaign promises was to improve the standing of the United States on the global stage, which easily ties into Rice’s experience as an ambassador to the UN. The main drawbacks to her candidacy are her comments about the Benghazi attacks in 2012 and accused Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl in 2014. Rice also has been mired in the controversy surrounding the investigation of Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor to Donald Trump.
Kamala Harris:
California Senator and former presidential candidate Kamala Harris seems most likely to be chosen as Biden’s running mate. If selected, Harris would be the first African-American and Indian-American to be on a national ticket.
Harris has had considerable experience on the national stage, including her recent bid for the presidency. Biden has seen Harris hold her ground in heated debates and develop strong political plans, which may help to improve her chances. She is well-known for being charismatic and a good debater, which could bring a spark back into Biden’s campaign.
As with the other candidates, Harris is not without her drawbacks. As Attorney General of California, she made some unpopular decisions that came back to haunt her in her presidential campaign.
By the end of this week, we should have our final answer from Joe Biden. Although Harris seems to be the most likely choice in this situation, it is too early to count any of the other candidates out, particularly Susan Rice and Gretchen Whitmer. This decision could make or break Biden’s candidacy, but if Joe Biden wins, whichever person he chooses will make U.S. history.
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