Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for the 2020 general election is well-known for better or for worse. Lately, rather than a debate of if he or incumbent Trump will win the election this year, it is more so the question of who will Biden choose as his running mate? I will be receiving my degree in political science soon and after years of studying much of American politics (and Biden himself), I believe I have it narrowed down to five potentially reasonable options of Biden's running mate.
1. Andrew Yang
Coming in as the only male candidate, I believe Andrew Yang, former 2020 presidential candidate, still has a chance of being chosen. On May 22, 2020, Matthew Gerard tweeted, "BREAKING: Andrew Yang is being formally vetted for a high ranking position in the Biden administration- even VP despite previous indications that Biden would choose a woman. Sources close to Biden say that 'he wants the best people possible. Yang has shown remarkable foresight.'" Despite this, Gerad had not publicly posted a source for this statement, nor was there any similar news coverage of this insight. Nonetheless, Yang did endorse Biden, and the two share many similar political stances, in my opinion.
2. Senator Kamala Harris
As a black woman and former 2020 presidential candidate, Harris could help mobilize those in the black community to vote for Biden, as Biden as been attempting to do so, but failing horrendously due to his wording. In addition, Harris and Biden's deceased son, Beau, were both friends and colleagues. Biden also has been noted to say he wants a president who "will be ready on day one." With the death of George Floyd and recent acknowledgement of police brutality against African Americans, Senator Harris, who has been vocal in the recent weeks, would likely be ready on day one for the current state of the nation,
3. Senator Amy Klobuchar
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is another former presidential candidate of the Democratic party. Klobuchar seems very favorable to Biden as he said he "wouldn't be the [Democratic] nominee" without the help of Klobuchar. Also commenting on how did Klobuchar did during the debates due to her aptness at being well-spoken, something which could be very useful for Biden.
4. First Lady Michelle Obama
First Lady Michelle Obama, the wife of President Obama, is well known by many, especially for the proactive measures she took as First Lady such as improving school lunches. Although I don't believe this is the most likely outcome, Biden has said he would select her as a running mate "in a heartbeat" but that he doesn't think she wants to be back in the White House. Although, a new committee independent of Biden's campaign and a nonconnected PAC has arisen to get the Obama's more involved in Biden's campaign, and who knows, maybe Michelle will end up wanting to return to the White House with a new title, especially as the public calls more and more for an African American VP.
5. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is a senator from Nevada who is likely less known than the other feasible candidates I've listed. Although, I believe she has a good shot at being chosen for Biden's running mate. According to recent polling, Latino support of Biden was down 18 percent between February and May. Having a Latina running mate could be advantageous for Biden, especially since so many states that Trump won in 2016, such as Texas, have large Latino populations.
Biden's official running mate search committee has only been enabled for a little over a month, so the days until Biden chooses a running mate are consequentially lowering in number. I'm not 100 percent sure if these four women and one man will be chosen, but I think there is sufficient evidence to believe so.
Nonetheless, I don't think Elizabeth Warren or Hillary Clinton will be chosen, despite talk that they will be. Make sure to register and vote for the 2020 Presidential Election!
