Joe Biden needs a running mate. The presumptive Democratic nominee for president has spent the pandemic campaigning on his own, usually from his basement. Frequent blunders, glaring lapses in memory, and even saying during an appearance on The Breakfast Club, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or for Trump, then you ain’t black,” are enough to make a supporter cringe. It’s not a good look.
In March, Biden announced that he would select a woman as his running mate. The pandering was exhausting from Day One. Add onto that Stacey Abrams’s never-ending crusade to be chosen by Biden, and what may have been moderate interest in his choice has turned into major news. Biden is unsteady as a one-man show, so his running mate will have to make up the difference.
One name that has been suggested is Sen. Elizabeth Warren. As a former presidential candidate herself, she is well-known. But the real question is, how well is she liked? In many ways, it seems like picking Warren would do much to help President Trump’s reelection campaign.
Warren, who had a promising start in 2019, was consistently polling in third and fourth place by the end of the year. She would remain there for the rest of her campaign. During the primaries, she never did better than third place in any of the contests. Most telling of all was her failure to do well in Massachusetts, her home state. Among the many Democratic choices, she just didn’t stand out as a party favorite. To assume that adding her to the Biden ticket would improve his chances is a shaky bet.
As reported by Politico, Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg presented the Biden campaign with his argument for why Warren would be a good running mate. But as noted in the article, there are plenty of concerns surrounding Warren.
From a conservative perspective, Warren comes across as a deceptive elitist. There is plenty of reason to feel that way. Everything from her long-held claim of Native American ancestry (which she eventually apologized for) to her vague, untenable plans reveal an unlikable opportunist who feels somehow entitled to a higher position in the political sphere. She presents herself as morally superior to her audience and scolds them instead of treating them as fellow Americans.
Among Democrats, she is as far left as Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg. As the primaries showed, Warren’s personality and policy learnings were not very appealing to the base. While she may check the gender box that Biden is looking for, being an older white woman in a party where some have clamored for a minority female is clearly a strike against her. And if chosen, she will undoubtedly be a target for Trump, who has long ridiculed her, specifically for her debunked ancestral claim. (Earlier this month, the president, clearly excited about the prospect, even suggested that Biden choose Warren.)
Biden’s choice of a running mate could make or break his campaign. Adding a shrill, polarizing, far-left female may not increase his favor among the Democratic base, undecided voters, or independents. Warren may look good on paper, but as shown by her dismal election bid, she fails to unify. If Biden picks her, it will be great news for Trump and Republicans.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
