Joe Biden’s commitment to pick a woman along with some of his past comments about what he wants in a vice president dramatically shortens the list of potential choices.
“If I’m elected president, my cabinet, my administration will look like the country,” Biden said during Sunday’s Democratic presidential debate. “I would pick a woman to be my vice president.”
Influential South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, whose endorsement helped propel Biden to a huge victory in the South Carolina primary that gave him momentum for Super Tuesday, said that he preferred Biden pick a black woman as his running mate. But Biden also said Sunday that he would appoint the first black female Supreme Court justice, which may mean he faces less backlash if he does not pick a black woman as vice president.
Aside from previously saying that he would pick someone “of color and/or a different gender,” Biden has given a few hints on his running mate. In January, Biden, 77, said that his pick would have to be “capable of [being] president because I’m an old guy.” He said in December that he would pick someone “who was simpatico with me, who knew what my priorities were and knew what I wanted to do. We could disagree on tactics, but strategically, we’d have to be on the exact same page.”
Here are women Biden could pick to be his running mate, ranked from least likely to most likely.
Stacey Abrams
The former Georgia gubernatorial candidate and state representative is often mentioned as a possible top Biden vice presidential pick, with betting markets giving the prominent black politician 9-2 odds according to US Bookies. Abrams, 46, has openly said she would consider being added to the eventual nominee’s ticket as his vice president. But while Abrams has political celebrity, her lack of statewide or national experience is likely a deal breaker against Biden picking her.
Kyrsten Sinema
At 43, the Arizonan senator is one of the youngest options to be Biden’s vice presidential nominee and is an energetic, talented campaigner. Sinema is a more moderate Democrat representing a swing state, meaning she might align better with Biden, and brings some additional diversity to the ticket by being openly bisexual. Sinema, however, would face backlash from Democrats for her more moderate positions and lack of enthusiasm for President Trump’s impeachment.
A black House representative
If Biden is very focused on choosing a black woman as vice president, he might look to the U.S. House of Representatives. Clyburn mentioned Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, 67, who has more than a decade in the chamber under her belt, and Florida Rep. Val Demings, 63. Demings joined the House in 2017, is a former Orlando police chief, and earned national recognition as a prosecutor in Trump’s impeachment trial.
Tammy Baldwin
The junior senator from the swing state of Wisconsin, 58, in 1998 became the first openly gay woman elected to Congress. Not only could she represent a Midwestern state that Democrats lost in 2016 and add diversity as an LGBT pick, but she would also bring progressive bona fides to the ticket, potentially energizing Bernie Sanders supporters to get out the vote. Unlike Biden, Baldwin voted against the Iraq War in 2002 as a House member. She was elected to the Senate a decade later.
Michelle Lujan Grisham
New Mexico’s first-term governor, 60, also has congressional experience, having served in the House from 2013 to 2019. While she represents a smaller-population state, her executive experience is a plus. She comes from a high-profile political family in the state (her cousin Ben Rau Lujan is a member of Congress), and she brings additional diversity as a Latina woman.
Tammy Duckworth
Duckworth, 52, has a unique set of characteristics. The Illinois senator and former Chicago-area representative is an Amy Iraq War veteran who lost both of her legs due to combat wounds. Being of Thai descent, she brings diversity to the ticket. She might, however, face “birther”-type questions, no matter how unsubstantiated or fact-free. Duckworth was born to a Thai mother and an American father in Thailand, making her an American citizen from birth. In the 2016 Republican primary, Canadian-born Texas Sen. Ted Cruz faced similar conspiracy theories, though he came up short against Trump for the GOP nomination.
Gretchen Whitmer
Whitmer, 48, is little-known nationally but is a rising star in the Democratic party. She assumed office as Michigan’s governor last year after a career in the state Legislature, and she gave the official Democratic response to Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address. Being from a Midwestern state that Democrats lost in 2016 is a plus, and betting markets give her 16-1 odds. Whitmer, though, has said that she does not want the job — but that could change.
Catherine Cortez Masto
Cortez Masto, 55, is a first-term Nevada senator who was formerly Nevada’s attorney general, and she is also chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. She could help Biden appeal to Hispanic and Latino populations, a demographic with which he struggles. Her attorney general experience, however, poses some liabilities: She initially defended Nevada’s ban on same-sex marriage but later abandoned the case.
Amy Klobuchar
Klobuchar, 59, immediately endorsed Biden after she ended her presidential campaign the eve before Super Tuesday, building some trust with the former vice president. The Minnesota senator is also from the Upper Midwest, an area where Democrats need to improve turnout, and she has higher name recognition due to her presidential run. Her prosecutorial record, however, could still haunt her on the campaign trail.
Elizabeth Warren
The Massachusetts senator, 70, and Biden have long-held disagreements over bankruptcy laws and other points, but a Biden-Warren ticket would be a unity ticket bridging the gap between progressives and moderates. Biden adopted some of Warren’s policy points on Sunday, indicating that there may be less ideological space between them, and she has wide name recognition. Biden said in December that he would consider Warren to be his running mate.
Kamala Harris
The first-term California senator, 55, is most frequently mentioned by Democratic primary voters as their preferred running mate for Biden. The day after the only black woman in the race ended her presidential campaign, Biden said that Harris would make a great vice president, attorney general, or Supreme Court justice.
But there may be some personal animosity between Biden and Harris leftover from her debate attack last June on Biden for opposing federally mandated integration busing. Jill Biden, wife of the former vice president, recently described the moment as a “punch to the gut” while discussing vice presidential picks.
