Will Joe Biden picking a black woman as his running mate be the key to uniting core voting blocks of the democratic party? Though unemployment is high and many are questioning Trump’s response to the recent health crisis, Biden is suffering from an enthusiasm gap.
Although we are several months away from the presidential election in November, we are only a few weeks away from knowing who Democratic nominee Joe Biden plans to pick for his vice president.
Biden said months ago, during a debate, that whoever his VP will be, it will be a woman, which has many speculating if his choice will be the first African-American woman as vice president.
Joe Biden Picking A Black Woman As His Running Mate Would Energize Women and Black Voters
Many political experts think that it should be since it was African-Americans who saved Biden’s campaign a few months ago after he lost the first three primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. After his boost, he received in South Carolina, Biden dominated the primaries and eventually won the nomination.
Although it’s pretty certain that Biden will get the majority of the black vote, the most important factor is turnout. While Biden was more popular amongst Black voters than Bernie Sanders, he will need them to show up at similar rates that they showed up for Obama.
When Obama won the presidency in 2008, 65.2% of black voters showed up to the polls. When Hillary lost the electoral college to Trump, she got only 57.7% of black voters to turn out. If that gap was just a bit smaller, she’d be president right now.
Senator Tammy Duckworth, rumored to be up for the position for the job, said on the talk show “The View” that is long overdue for a woman or person of color to get the nod.
The Top Black Female Candidates
Two names popping up as potential running mates are Stacey Abrams and California Senator Kamala Harris.
They both fit the criteria for what Biden is seeking: female, black, and qualified for this position. But which one should he pick?
The Case For Stacey Abrams
Abrams ran and almost became the first African-American female governor of the state of Georgia, losing by only 50,000 votes. She has fought and is still voting for voting rights in not only her state but around the country. Most think she is a rising star in the Democratic Party but is it her time?
On the downside, she did lose the election to become governor in Georgia (though she’ll insist that her loss was no fault of her own) and she lacks experience on the federal level, unlike Kamala Harris.
The Case For Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris has been a senator since 2016, but her stock rocketed to the top during the Trump Impeachment Hearings. She did a good job asking the tough questions, leaving a wonderful impression on many Americans, especially Democrats.
Harris has also been putting in the work either writing and co-writing bills during the coronavirus outbreak to help Americans. Along with Elizabeth Warren, she is a top go-getter in the party and definitely worthy of the position.
But just like Abrams, Harris also has some faults. The one that has earned her the most criticism is her past as a prosecutor in California where she was very tough on marijuana users who were mostly black.
Will Biden Make The Right Choice?
Is Biden ready to pull the trigger and select a black female as his running mate? He has to be. African-Americans saved his campaign and if he wants to keep them on his side, he needs to make sure that he picks a prominent African-American woman as his vice president.
It’s the right thing to do.
