Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, once considered a top contender to serve as former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate for the 2020 presidential election, is withdrawing her name from consideration.
Speaking with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on Thursday, Klobuchar said it was time to “put a woman of color on that ticket.”
“This is a historic moment. And America must seize on this moment and I truly believe — as I actually told the vice president last night when I called him — that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket,” she said.
“And there are so many incredibly qualified women,” she added, “but if you want to heal this nation right now — my party, yes, but our nation — this is sure a hell of a way to do it.”
BREAKING: Sen. Klobuchar announces she is withdrawing from consideration to be Joe Biden's vice presidential choice: "I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket." pic.twitter.com/xk4zZIP7Yd
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 19, 2020
Klobuchar’s standing as a potential VP pick for Biden had diminished in recent weeks following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
As a prosecutor in Hennepin County, Minnesota — whose county seat is Minneapolis — Klobuchar declined to prosecute multiple police officers who had been accused of using excessive force on suspects during arrests.
When Floyd, a black man, died after a white officer knelt on his neck for roughly nine minutes, media scrutiny of Klobuchar’s tenure as prosecutor increased.
The response on Twitter to Klobuchar’s announcement was mixed, with many suggesting that her call for Biden to choose a “woman of color” might undermine Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s chances of being Biden’s running mate.
Amy Klobuchar bows to the reality of events in Minneapolis and withdraws as a possible candidate for VP. @JoeBiden will have great difficulty picking anyone but a woman of color–precisely what Klobuchar just urged him to do. An obvious loser in this equation is @ewarren.
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) June 19, 2020
On the way out of VP contention, Amy Klobuchar said she wanted Biden to pick a woman of color, but she's also putting Elizabeth Warren in an awkward position.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) June 19, 2020
Klobuchar didn’t have a chance at VP anyway, so this seems to hurt Warren more than anyone
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) June 19, 2020
Others called for Biden to choose a woman of color, such as California Sen. Kamala Harris.
I wish he’d just chose Kamala already pic.twitter.com/89Qc8ym9Qv
— kristen johnston (@thekjohnston) June 19, 2020
Amy Klobuchar removes her name from VP consideration, says Biden should pick a woman of color. I don’t always agree with Amy Klobuchar, but I agree with this. And to be more specific, Biden should pick a black woman running mate. https://t.co/ozi0uUY99c
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) June 19, 2020
Kamala it is. https://t.co/7rRfTxjqG9
— Wajahat "Social Distance Yourself" Ali (@WajahatAli) June 19, 2020
PS/ To be clear, Kamala Harris would be a great VP pick—I'm just saying this was a lame move by Klobuchar because it wasn't about Biden picking a woman of color it was about Klobuchar trying to preserve her illusory status as "the white woman Biden came closest to picking"
Sad
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) June 19, 2020
While Biden has not released any official list of potential VP choices, several candidates — such as Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Florida Rep. Val Demings and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham as well as Harris and Warren — are widely believed to be in contention.
Story cited here.
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