- Some African-American leaders and activists have said that a black woman on the ticket would help demonstrate to black voters, a crucial component of the Democratic base, that Biden is committed to addressing issues such as criminal justice reform and police misconduct.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced on Thursday night she was removing herself from consideration to be Joe Biden's running mate, citing the ongoing national discussion about racial injustice and police brutality. She suggested the former vice president should choose a woman of color.
The Minnesota Democrat, who competed against Biden for the party’s presidential nomination before endorsing him, told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell she called Biden Wednesday evening with her decision, saying she believes “this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket."
"This is a historic moment, and America must seize on this moment. And I truly believe as, I actually told the vice president last night when I called him, that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket…"
"And there are so many incredibly qualified women, but if you want to heal this nation right now, my party ... this is sure a hell of a way to do it."
Biden offered warm words for Klobuchar on Twitter shortly after her comments to MSNBC.
"Amy — from the moment you announced you were running for president in a snowstorm, it wasn't hard to see you had the grit and determination to do anything you set your mind to," Biden tweeted. "You know how to get things done. With your help, we're going to beat Donald Trump."
Biden, who will take on Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election, is under pressure to pick a black woman as his understudy as racial tensions flare over instances of police brutality, including the videotaped death last month of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.
Klobuchar’s record as the top prosecutor for the Minnesota County that includes Minneapolis, where Floyd died, came under scrutiny. Some Democrats took issue with her record on police misconduct and other prosecutions.
Biden late on Thursday praised Klobuchar’s “grit and determination” on Twitter and said that “with your help, we’re going to beat Donald Trump.”
Biden has already promised to pick a woman as his running mate, and several black candidates are on his short list, including Senator Kamala Harris and Representative Val Demings. He has also considered candidates of other backgrounds, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is white.
Some African-American leaders and activists have said that a black woman on the ticket would help demonstrate to black voters, a crucial component of the Democratic base, that Biden is committed to addressing issues such as criminal justice reform and police misconduct.
Biden himself has not committed to picking a black woman, telling CNN's Dana Bash last month: "There are women of color under consideration and there are women from every part of the country under consideration because there are a lot of really qualified women that are ready to be president."
"But I'm not making that commitment. I'm going to make that judgment after in fact this group goes through interviewing all these people," he said.
Biden has said he hopes to pick his running mate around August 1.
(Materials from CNN and Reuters were used in this write-up)