Joe Biden and Gretchen Whitmer
(Photo: Twitter/Her personal page)
After months of speculation, the general sentiment has been that presumptive presidential candidate Joe Biden will pick a Black running mate.
But some gave pause to that belief when reports surfaced over the weekend that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had visited with Biden in Delaware last week.
Chris Cillizza, a former Washington Post reporter who is now a CNN politics reporter and editor-at-large, names five potential vice presidential picks, and write this about Whitmer:
At the start of this whole process, the Michigan governor was at (or near) the top of everyone's list -- including mine. A series of struggles in dealing with coronavirus in her state (most self-inflicted) dropped her off the radar.
That was a mistake since, clearly, Biden and his vetting team have kept their eye closely on Whitmer. She traveled to Delaware last weekend to meet with Biden in person -- and that's not the sort of thing that happens, especially this late in the veepstakes, unless she is under very serious consideration. Whitmer is obviously appealing for a few reasons: She's a governor elected in a Midwestern state, she has a similar pragmatic approach to politics as Biden does and, at 48 years old, represents a next generation Democratic leader.
I have been loudly skeptical that, in this climate, Biden picks a white woman as his VP. I am still in that camp, but if he does, it appears Whitmer will be the choice.
He listed Susan Rice as #2 and Sen. Kamala Harris as #1.
He notes that Harris has some vulnerabilities as the pick, but "net it all out, and Harris still makes the most sense for Biden."
Biden is expeced to announce his pick this week before the start of the Democratic National Convention next Monday.
