Blog No. 256. Amy Klobuchar for Vice President

Amid the sturm und drang of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is almost possible to forget that we are in a crucially important election year. But it must not be forgotten. And a significant milestone along the way will be Vice President Biden’s choice of a running mate. (On the Republican side, there seems to be no doubt about President Trump’s choice: Mike Pence, having mastered the role of a latter day Uriah Heep, will no doubt be asked to continue his portrayal in Trump’s pursuit of a second term.)

For Democrats, however, the matter is more complicated, as several candidates are in the range of possibility. Regular readers of this space may recall that I endorsed Senator Amy Klobuchar as a candidate for president and will not be surprised at my urging Vice President Biden to select Amy as his running mate. There are two fundamental questions for Biden to consider. First, who would provide the most strength to the ticket in the election campaign. Second, if Biden is elected, who would serve most effectively as Vice President and, if called upon, step in as President (a factor that may be particularly important given Biden’s age at 77). I believe that Amy Klobuchar has the edge on both counts although her case is stronger on the second.

The Election Campaign

Biden has said that he will choose a woman for Vice President and there is no reason to suppose that he will depart from that position. The strong performance of Andrew Cuomo as a governor, and his daily appearances on television, have turned a few heads, but he is going to have his hands more than full for the next few months in leading New York through the COVID-19 crisis.

The importance of the individual who fills the Vice Presidential slot may be overrated in terms of its impact on the election. Presidential candidates often look for someone who will “balance” the ticket in political appeal or geography. Yet, looking at history, Vice Presidential candidates generally do not appear to have contributed significantly to the election of their President. The most notable exception is Lyndon Johnson whose presence on the ticket in 1960 probably led to John F. Kennedy’s winning Texas and several southern states. In general, the best rule might be that of physicians, “Do no harm.” It would probably be unfair to blame John McCain’s defeat on Sarah Palin, but her numerous gaffes were distractions when McCain could ill-afford them. In 2020, however, the candidates available to Biden do not appear to offer the reward of a Johnson or the risk of a Palin.

The biggest question for Biden may be whether to choose an African American woman, as urged by Representative James Clyburn. Clearly Biden owes a huge debt to Clyburn whose endorsement propelled Biden to his landslide victory in the South Carolina primary which, in turn, took him to a triumphant Super Tuesday. Clyburn, however, appears to have recommended but not insisted, and will surely support Biden whomever he chooses. Still, Clyburn’s support, and that of other African American leaders, for Biden and a white running mate, may not generate as much enthusiasm in the African American community as would an African American woman on the ticket.

If Biden does select woman of color, it would almost certainly be Stacey Abrams of Georgia or California’s Senator Kamala Harris. Both Abrams and Harris have their own strengths and weaknesses. Abrams is a graduate of Yale Law School, was a leader in the Georgia legislature, and ran a close though unsuccessful race for Governor of Georgia in 2018. She has generated strong support from African Americans and younger voters in Georgia, but she has no political or governing experience in Washington or anywhere else outside of Georgia. While she is a powerful speaker, and a bright political future clearly lies ahead for her, it would be difficult for Biden to maintain that she would be prepared to step into the presidency.

In the eyes of some pundits, Kamala Harris is the leading candidate to join Biden on the ticket. However, the grounds for that assessment are questionable. She does have considerably more experience than Stacey Abrams, having served in the Senate since 2017 and, prior to that, spent six years as Attorney General of California. On the other hand, her pursuit of the Democratic nomination for president was a troubled one. After what seemed to be a promising start, the campaign suffered internal disputes, she had difficulty raising money, and her poll numbers declined. Her record in the debates was mixed at best with, ironically, her most memorable moment coming with an attack on Joe Biden for his position on mandatory school busing. She never mustered wide support in the African American community, in part because of apparent discomfort with some aspects of her record as a state prosecutor in San Francisco. Her campaign ended in December of last year, before the first primary.

Apart from Abrams and Harris, Klobuchar’s principal competitor for Vice Presidential nominee is Elizabeth Warren. Warren ran a strong campaign, but running in the “progressive lane” in the Democratic primaries she was never able to overtake Bernie Sanders. As a candidate for Vice President, Warren would come equipped with her own portfolio of plans on a wide variety of issues, but she might not fit comfortably in the role of being a No. 2. It is also doubtful that, even as a progressive, she would be effective in bringing on board the disappointed supporters of Bernie Sanders. Some of those supporters, it may be recalled, she accused, with considerable justification, of “organized nastiness” toward her.

For her part, Senator Klobuchar would bring geographical diversity and would strengthen the ticket in key midwestern states, including not only her home state of Minnesota but battleground states, including Michigan and Wisconsin. On the other hand, as a pragmatic moderate in the Biden mold, Klobuchar would not (apart from her gender) add political or ideological diversity. Still, her compatibility with Biden, in message and cheerful personality, would minimize any risk of mixed or confusing signals from the campaign. While she would not be a magnet for support from the African American communities, that is a segment of the electorate in which Biden appears to be in a strong position on his own. While Biden enjoys less support among Latino voters, none of the leading candidates for Vice President promise to bring such support.

There are numerous other women who have been mentioned and Biden may consider. They include: Nevada Senator, Catherine Cortez Masto; Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer; Former Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice; Illinois Senator, Tammy Duckworth; Wisconsin Senator, Tammy Baldwin; Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms; New Mexico Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham; and Florida Congresswoman Val Demmings. Any one of those women might surprise us, but I will defer comment or assessment pending further developments.

Serving as Vice President

In terms of actually serving as Vice President, Klobuchar clearly stands above the rest in experience, achievement and personality. Some time ago, Joe Biden outlined the qualities he would look for In a Vice President. First was “Someone who is simpatico with where I want to take the country. We can disagree on tactic but not on strategy.” Biden has also indicated that he would value experience in a running mate and that the vice presidency is not the place for on the job training. There is no other candidate who is more simpatico with Biden than Klobuchar or one who can match her accomplishments. Klobuchar has been in the Senate for twelve years and has established a remarkable record of working across the aisle. (She was rated by Vanderbilt University as the most effective Democratic Senator. Medill News Service ranks her first in the Senate, with the most bills led or cosponsored.)

Put another way, Klobuchar would be very much the kind of vice president for Biden that Biden was for Barack Obama—skillful in dealing with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress and not seeking to advance her own agenda or promote her own constituency. Klobuchar recently joined Biden in his weekly podcast, “Here’s the Deal.” Jennifer Rubin called the podcast an audition for the vice presidency gave it a detailed review in the Washington Post. She gave Klobuchar high marks for her performance, and concluded:

One could easily imagine Biden naming Klobuchar as his vice president. They share a plain-spokenness, a pragmatic view of politics and an emphasis on governing with empathy. Biden also went out of his way to thank her for her endorsement (and exit from the race), without which he said he would not have racked up wins on Super Tuesday en route to becoming the presumptive nominee. Biden may choose instead to look for a woman of color (in part to create campaign excitement and rev up his base), but if governing ability and compatibility are what he is looking for, Klobuchar would surely fit the bill.

Readers can find the Biden/Klobuchar podcast here. If you have time, please listen in and tell us what you think.