Joe Biden Biden seriously considered choosing a running mate other than Kamala Harris but went with her under pressure as the “do no harm” candidate, according to David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama and chief strategist for the 2008 and 2012 Obama presidential campaigns.
Harris famously targeted Biden in the first primary debate 14 months ago over his position on mandatory school busing in the 1970s. As a child, Harris said she benefited from busing. Her challenge shot her briefly to the top of the polls and was a source of friction with Biden and his family that could have upended his choice, Axelrod wrote in a CNN opinion piece.
“Others Biden considered may have fit more comfortably into partnership with him,” according to Axelrod.
Biden “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,” according to Axelrod.
“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.”
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Pressure for Biden to choose a Black woman or woman of color has been building since George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer triggered nationwide protests over racial inequity, Axelrod wrote.
“And beyond the historic nature of Harris’ selection, many supporters argued that the presence of a person of color on the ticket was necessary to motivate Black voters. Tepid turnout by Black voters in 2016 helped doom Hillary Clinton in her race against Donald Trump.”
