Joe Biden's VP shortlist has emerged and here who has made the list:
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar
New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth
Florida Congesswoman Val Demings
Not this might not necessarily be an exhaustive, but it is telling that Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams and Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto aren't on the list. Let us assume for now that this is the final list.
Obviously, Klobuchar is receiving the lion's share of the attention by virtue of her presidential campaign and swift endorsement of Biden. While I can see Biden picking Klobuchar if he thinks he's at risk of losing Minnesota and need a strong critic of the Trump Administration's coronavirus response in very personal terms as her husband survived COVID-19, she is tremendous liability by virtue of her harsh treatment of her staff and would likely alienate African-American voters by evidently putting an innocent man in jail when she was the Hennepin County Attorney. I think Klobuchar does Biden more harm than good.
Maggie Hassan might not be a familiar name to some, but she is familiar name in Boston as many New Hampshire residents work in the city and New Hampshire election ads flood Boston's airwaves. Hassan served two terms as Governor before being elected to the Senate. As with Klobuchar, Biden could pick Hassan if he fears losing the Granite state. In some respects, Hassan's problem is diametrically opposed to that of Klobuchar where it concerns her staff. A former member of Hassan's staff was sentenced to four years in federal prison for accessing the records of five Republican Senators and disseminating the information online after they helped to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Another staffer also plead guilty for assisting the staffer access Senate computers after his termination and lying to investigators.
From where I sit this raises a red flag. While Hassan herself might not have engaged in this conduct, it does indicate a lack of control and discipline of her staff as well as presenting a potential liability to Biden down the line. If this could happen under Hassan's watch as a U.S. Senator it could certainly happen in the Office of the Vice President with a far graver set of circumstances thus spelling trouble to a Biden White House.
Governors Whitmer and Lujan-Grisham have won plaudits for their COVID-19 responses in their respective states and both have stood up to President Trump with Lujan-Grisham reading him the riot act in a conference call with other state governors over the dissemination of medical supplies. Both Governors are from strategically significant states. Of course, Trump won Michigan in 2016 and Biden is eager to get it back with Trump seeking to wrest New Mexico from the Democratic column. But both Whitmer and Lujan-Grisham are first term Governors who have a lot on their plate where they are and it is best they keep on top of their respective state's COVID-19 response. Further complicating matters for Whitmer has been flooding which has forced the evacuation of thousands of Michigan residents. Under the circumstances, this would not be an opportune time for Whitmer to leave office.
Which leaves an Iraqi war veteran and a former police chief as Biden's best choices on the list.
Before her election to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Duckworth had a lengthy military career serving as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot who was wounded in Iraq in a battle with insurgents losing both of her legs. While Illinois is a safe Democratic state, it would be fitting if Biden picked a Senator from Illinois as he was picked by an Illinois Senator.
Meanwhile, Val Demings served with the Orlando Police Department for 27 years spending the last three and half years of her law enforcement career as the department's chief of police before retiring in 2010. Elected to Congress in 2016, Demings got notice as one of the managers in the House impeachment proceedings against President Trump. That alone would get Demings under Trump's thin skin. Given that Florida is now Trump's home state it would also get under his skin if Demings could help Biden wrest the Sunshine state from him.
Both Duckworth and Demings have had careers in areas that would normally appeal to Republican voters. Both are moderates. While this might turn off some progressives, it could be offset by their minority status (Duckworth is Asian-American while Demings is African-American). Barring any shocking revelations, their character has been beyond reproach.
If it comes down to those two I give Demings a slight edge given the significance of African-Americans in the Democratic Party. Although Demings and Duckworth aren't household names should Biden pick either I think both will leave a positive impression while not doing him any harm.
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