It's official, presidential candidate Joe Biden has chosen California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate.
I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 11, 2020
But according to former Obama Senior Advisor David Axelrod, Harris wasn't his top choice and politics pushed her into the position.
"He reportedly clicked well with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, but she would not have fulfilled the desire of those who prioritized a candidate of color," Axelrod wrote for CNN. "Whitmer, a White moderate pick, also would have raised questions among supporters of progressive champion Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, widely viewed after a lifetime of advocacy and a strong campaign for president as a tough, brilliant and capable policymaker. But some also saw Warren as the most polarizing of the potential candidates, who would have been offered by Trump as evidence that the moderate Biden is merely a Trojan Horse for the left."
"In the end, Biden seriously considered others but returned to Harris as the 'do no harm' candidate, unlikely to thrill or outrage many. She may not seem the most comfortable fit as a governing partner, a quality Biden said he was seeking, but Harris was viewed as the safest pick to win in November," he continued.
During the Democrat presidential primary, Biden promised to nominate a woman for the position. This week, a number of influential black Americans sent the former vice president a letter warning he will lose in November without a black vice presidential candidate.
