Biden may select black woman candidate for post of vice president

As protests over racism and police brutality roil the country, Democrats are putting more importance in Joe Biden choosing a black candidate or a woman of colour as his running mate.

The widescale uprisings have reshaped the national dialogue around Biden’s search for a running mate and made the issue of an African American vice presidential nominee a top consideration for the campaign.

All three have seen their public profiles rise in recent weeks. Harris, the lone VP contender to have run against Biden in the primary, also saw her favorability among Democrats rise in the poll. Meantime, public attention on Bottoms has grown since her well-reviewed speech after massive protests and looting descended on her city.

Also read: Joe Biden extends lead over Donald Trump as 55% Americans back him for presidency: Survey

With the focus turning to police reform, Demings, a former metropolitan police chief, and Harris, a former district attorney and state attorney general, have leaned on their personal experiences despite the potential for backlash.

Both argue that their careers, which became a burden for Harris in the primary, are an asset in their efforts to overhaul law enforcement.

Other African American women under consideration include former national security adviser Susan Rice and Stacey Abrams, a former Democratic state House leader in Georgia who narrowly lost a race for governor in 2018.

Amid nationwide protests sweeping the nation calling for systemic change following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police, former vice president and presumptive Democratic Nominee Joe Biden is aware of the increased calls for him to choose a woman of color as his running mate, according to Biden’s senior adviser, Symone Sanders.

Also read: I will appoint a woman as vice president, if elected president: Biden

"He absolutely is. He hears the concerns of folks across this country who have asked for an African American woman vice president running mate, but also folks from the Latino community have said he should pick a Latina. There are folks that believe he should pick someone that represents the LGBTQ+ community," Sanders said in an appearance on ABC’s "The View" on Wednesday.

“Your points are well taken, and I will have to tell you that if you were to ask Joe Biden today, he would say he doesn't know who he's going to pick, but he can promise you that the person he will pick will be ready to govern on day one, will mirror the relationship he and President Obama had, and it could be a black woman but we just don't know yet. We'll have to wait and see,” Sanders added.

The campaign is also seeking to draw a sharp contrast with President Donald Trump as calls for tangible police reform grow, and Sanders argued Wednesday that the president had “abdicated” leadership on the issue and is instead “hiding in a bunker,” a reference to reports that Trump was taken to a secure location in the White House due to growing protests in the vicinity of the complex earlier this month.

"We believe that Donald Trump has abdicated his position of leadership. When Vice President Biden was out touring the unrest that happened in his own city just a couple miles from where he lived in Wilmington, Delaware last week, where was Donald Trump? He was in a bunker...hiding in a bunker," Sanders said.

Sanders also pointed to criticism of Trump from former top defense officials like former Defense Secretary James Mattis as evidence that there is a growing attitude even among Republicans that the president must be defeated in November.