Klobuchar blows up veepstakes in ‘politically expedient’ self-removal from consideration

“This is a historic moment, and America must seize on this moment,” the Minnesota senator said on MSNBC. “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.”

To some, the move looked like a way to save face rather than a noble act.

Klobuchar was already unlikely to cinch the running-mate role. Her stock as a potential running mate for Biden fell quickly as the death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who died after a white officer put his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes, renewed scrutiny of her own record as the prosecutor for Hennepin County, and she was criticized for how she phrased initial statements about Floyd’s death.

“She dropped out to pander and score political points. It’s not brave, it’s politically expedient,” tweeted Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe.

Regardless of her personal reasons for withdrawing from the race, her statement is the clearest sign yet that a woman of color vice presidential pick may be inevitable.

Biden “will have great difficulty picking anyone but a woman of color,” tweeted Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “Pressure for a woman of color has been building from influential segments of the party, but fundamentally, George Floyd’s murder, the widespread protests, and a newfound cultural reexamination of race in America has brought us to the threshold of a history-making pick.”

He added that Warren is “an obvious loser in this equation.”

Author and professor Seth Abramson had a blunt analysis: “Basically Klobuchar hitting Warren behind the knees with a metal rod on her way out the door, such is politics.”

Warren is not the only white woman remaining on lists of possible women Biden could be considering. It also stunts Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

But Warren, who on Monday was a featured speaker at the most successful Biden fundraiser ever and whom many leftists are advocating for, is the highest-profile woman to see her vice presidential hopes knocked down a few pegs by Klobuchar’s statement.

Bill Palmer, a left-wing blogger, theorized that Klobuchar’s public declaration might not be as harsh or unexpected as some believe. “She wouldn’t have done that to Biden unless he’s already on board with it,” he tweeted. “She wouldn’t have done that to Warren, unless Warren is already out. They’re all on the same team. This isn’t junior high school.”

Biden acknowledged that Klobuchar removed herself from consideration in a glowing tweet.

“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,” he said. “You know how to get things done. With your help, we’re going to beat Donald Trump.”