In the wake of scrutiny surrounding President Joe Biden’s age, the debate over whether Vice President Kamala Harris harms or helps his reelection chances persists. During her tenure as Biden’s right hand, Harris has faced massive amounts of criticism for various aspects of her job performance.
Biden considered numerous candidates before selecting Harris, a decision that has heavily influenced his public approval. Five prominent women were considered for Biden’s running mate.
Those women were passed over in favor of Harris four years ago. Here’s what has happened with them since.
Susan Rice
Susan Rice was a notable figure in the vice presidential selection process, gathering significant traction as a former ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser under former President Barack Obama. Rice and other Obama officials were accused by former President Donald Trump’s team of using secret intelligence reports to spy on Trump associates for political purposes, an unproven claim that surfaced again during Biden’s 2020 campaign.
Rice went on to serve as Biden’s domestic policy adviser before stepping down in spring last year.
Early in his campaign, Biden vowed to select a woman as his running mate and was later pressed to name a black woman for the role, a pressure that likely eliminated some of the other women on his short list.
Gretchen Whitmer
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) was widely regarded as one of the top contenders for the vice presidential nomination, rooted in her Midwestern appeal and governing experience.
Whitmer was heavily attacked by Republicans over her response to the coronavirus pandemic, as Michigan was a state with one of the fastest-growing infection rates. Whitmer implemented strict stay-at-home orders, earning her national attention while discussions surrounding Biden’s vice presidential short list surfaced.
Since COVID-19 subsided, Whitmer has proven to be a popular governor who boasts strong approval ratings in a state where Biden appears to be struggling.
Karen Bass
Karen Bass, a former speaker of the California Assembly and then House member, was considered for her strong progressive credentials and low-key profile. Bass, who won the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election, was well known in California as the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus but hardly at the national level.
As the campaign season moved along, several controversies plagued Bass’s possible candidacy, including a resurfaced video from 2010 in which she praised the Church of Scientology, as well as honoring a member of the Communist Party USA in 2017 remarks.
Tammy Duckworth
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) was also on Biden’s short list for running mates in 2020, even receiving an endorsement from the Democratic Party of Illinois for the role.
Duckworth serves as one of the vice chairs of the Democratic National Committee and appealed to a broader audience as an Iraq War veteran. If she had been selected, she would have been the first Asian American woman on a national ticket. Harris made history as the first black and first Asian American vice president.
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Michelle Lujan Grisham
Like Duckworth, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) was on Biden’s list but wasn’t in the national spotlight as other higher-profile candidates under consideration. Grisham served as the New Mexico secretary of health under then-Gov. Bill Richardson in 2004, a position that could have boosted Biden’s message on the coronavirus pandemic.
