On Thursday night, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) dropped out of consideration to be former Vice President Joe Biden‘s running mate and suggested the former vice president pick a “woman of color” instead.
Klobuchar said in an interview on MSNBC that she called Biden on Wednesday to withdraw herself from consideration to be his running mate and asked him to designate a woman of color.
“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,” Klobuchar, told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell.
“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,” she added.
Biden supported Klobuchar, praising her as a former presidential candidate.
Klobuchar dropped out of the presidential race in March and endorsed Biden. She then became a leading candidate for vice president, with many supporting her centrist approach. However, as the anti-police violence protests erupted after the murder of an African-American man, George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer, her background as a top prosecutor in Minnesota and a tough-on-crime reputation lowered her prospects.
In March, during the presidential debates, Biden committed to choosing a woman as a vice president.
“I commit that I will, in fact, appoint a woman to be vice president,” Biden said. “There are a number of women qualified to be president tomorrow.”
California Sen. Kamala Harris and Florida Rep. Val Demings are considered to be leading candidates for the role. While both are black women, they too have backgrounds in law enforcement. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is also believed to be a potential candidate.
Klobuchar’s call in to pick a woman of color as a vice president may jeopardize Sen. Elizabeth Warren‘s chances to run her candidacy.
Biden said he will announce who he will pick as his running mate on August 1.
