Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) formally withdrew herself from consideration to be Joe Biden’s vice presidential candidate on Thursday, after agreeing to be formally vetted at the end of May. Sen. Klobuchar lamented that there are “so many” qualified women in the running, but urged the former vice president to select a woman of color as his running mate:
"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," Sen. Klobuchar said.
The Biden campaign’s senior advisor, Symone Sanders, confirmed Sen. Klobuchar's withdrawal from consideration and indicated that the Minnesota Democrat will still be heavily involved in the campaign:
.@amyklobuchar I hope you know this doesn’t get you out of any Women for Biden events especially in Minnesota! ?? Grateful for your introspection, your passion & your insight. We appreciate all you’ve done for our campaign Senator!! Happy to be in this fight with you!
— Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) June 19, 2020
Sen. Klobuchar’s withdrawal leaves Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), former National Security Advisor Susan Rice and former Georgia state lawmaker Stacey Abrams, among others. Sen. Klobuchar’s advice to pick a woman of color is undoubtedly a blow to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who is also lobbying for a vice presidential pick. Sen. Warren was voters’ first choice in early vice presidential polling.
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Biden backed himself into a corner by vowing to pick a female vice president during a March debate, and the choices continue to dwindle. The Democratic nominee hopes to announce his choice by August 1, ahead of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) convention.
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