Biden's White, Male Running Mate

[LastMcGovernite]

Suppose that-- ignoring, for the moment, of the bad optics and questionable political science behind such a decision-- that Joe Biden were to choose a white male for his running mate.

Any ideas on who that person would be?

Some possibilities that stand out to me might include:

-Martin Heinrich
-Beto O'Rourke
-Joe Kennedy III
-Roy Cooper
-Gavin Newsom
-Pete Buttigieg

[Senator Spark]

Suppose that-- ignoring, for the moment, of the bad optics and questionable political science behind such a decision-- that Joe Biden were to choose a white male for his running mate.

Any ideas on who that person would be?

Some possibilities that stand out to me might include:

-Martin Heinrich
-Beto O'Rourke
-Joe Kennedy III
-Roy Cooper
-Gavin Newsom
-Pete Buttigieg

Biden/Buttigieg would get crushed in the South

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Biden/Cooper would probably be the best pairing on your list.

Biden/Wolf would be killer.

[Suburbia]

Tim Ryan or

Alan Grayson

I like Grayson.

He mollifies the Sanders wing without offending moderates and he was right about the Republican Party and healthcare.

Grayson would have beaten Rubio in 2016 or Scott in 2018 if Murphy and Nelson did not run.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Cuomo

Not that I'd like that

[ShadowRocket]

His name always get tossed around for these discussions but I think Sherrod Brown would be his best pick in this scenario, the Senate seat issue aside. He strikes me as being an Al Gore-esque pick in that he would reinforce Biden's strengths. And coming from OH isn't a bad thing despite the question of how competitive it is nowadays.  

Aside from him, Buttigieg makes sense to me despite the experience question. O'Rourke would probably work too if he didn't run in this timeline.

[LastMcGovernite]

Oh, and William McRaven.

[Ferguson97]

Sherrod Brown would be a great pick.

[Orwell]

I would like Jack Reed, Sherrod Brown, McRaven, or Stravidis.

[Kleine Scheiße]

de Blasio

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

de Blasio

Yes, if Biden wants to lose the election.

[Former President tack50]

Suppose that-- ignoring, for the moment, of the bad optics and questionable political science behind such a decision-- that Joe Biden were to choose a white male for his running mate.

A bit unrelated, but why would it be bad optics and questionable political science? Biden should pick the most qualified running mate regardless of race and gender

[pikachu]

Even if Biden didn't put the woman requirement, I don't think it was ever going to be a white guy just because a lot of the Democratic Party's most interesting politicians in 2020 aren't white guys. A woman was always more likely than not, and even then, Booker or Castro would probably be better picks than a lot of the people mentioned so far.

[RFK Jr.’s Brain Worm]

Even if Biden didn't put the woman requirement, I don't think it was ever going to be a white guy just because a lot of the Democratic Party's most interesting politicians in 2020 aren't white guys. A woman was always more likely than not, and even then, Booker or Castro would probably be better picks than a lot of the people mentioned so far.

Looking at minority male Dems, my go-to pick is Ro Khanna.

[LastMcGovernite]

Suppose that-- ignoring, for the moment, of the bad optics and questionable political science behind such a decision-- that Joe Biden were to choose a white male for his running mate.

A bit unrelated, but why would it be bad optics and questionable political science? Biden should pick the most qualified running mate regardless of race and gender

A fair enough concern to raise. I'd say 1) He's already pledged to pick a woman; and 2) Given how diverse the Democratic Party is, picking two people from the most privileged sex and race is problematic. Especially now that we have dozens and dozens of qualified women and persons of color.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Sherrod Brown would be a great pick.

I have always been against Brown abandoning his Senate seat, but if this hypothetical were to happen in our current environment with how promising the Senate flipping looks, it might not be such a bad idea anymore.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Bernie Sanders.

[Kingpoleon]

A bit unrelated, but why would it be bad optics and questionable political science? Biden should pick the most qualified running mate regardless of race and gender.

While this sounds nice, it’s just not true.

A Vice Presidential nominee should either: 1) expand a solidified coalition; 2) solidify a wavering base; 3) secure a large constituency’s turnout*; or 4) address specific voter concerns to the Presidential candidate, current issues, etc.**

By nominating a woman of color, Biden could boost turnout among large, key voter demographics. Women, Hispanics, blacks, South Asians, East Asians, etc. Nominating a Hispanic or Asian VP could expand a solidified coalition, as historically these groups have turned out at pretty low rates and are not as securely in the Democratic column as some might think. Thirdly, one of Biden’s main problems with the base is a lack of solid support for civil rights groups or feminist groups up until now. This could allay fears that Biden will do nothing to help women and minorities reach towards proportional representation, a major goal of the left wing of the Democratic Party. Finally, nominating a minority - especially a black VP - would indicate that criminal justice reform and civil rights, being a major issue right now for most Democrats(indeed, most Americans), would be a major priority of a President Biden.

It actually may indicate that Biden’s campaign is more strategic than the Clinton campaign was.


*3 can sometimes be classified as a subdivision of two;
**Number 4 is sometimes, though not always, related to one or more of numbers 1 to 3; furthermore, a fifth category, to win a swing state, is still supported by most pundits, though not most academically inclined pundits/political scientists

[Morning in Atlas]

It probably would be Buttigieg. IIRC he's looking for a similar close working relationship to what he had with Obama. Biden and Pete did legitimately develop one on the campaign trail.

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

Even if Biden didn't put the woman requirement, I don't think it was ever going to be a white guy just because a lot of the Democratic Party's most interesting politicians in 2020 aren't white guys. A woman was always more likely than not, and even then, Booker or Castro would probably be better picks than a lot of the people mentioned so far.

It's just a hypothetical

[T'Chenka]

Bernie Sanders.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Edwards was the worse Veep selection and ever since then, Ds have thought about female Prez or Veeps. Obama should of put a female Veep, but Reade allegations hadnt come out, and would have if they had come out

[Landslide Lyndon]

Bernie Sanders.

Ideology aside, picking another septuagenarian with serious health issues would have been a recipe for disaster.

[Donerail]

At this point? Picking a male VP (when there's been no rumors about it) would mean bypassing the vetting process and picking someone Biden personally likes and trusts. Chris Dodd?

[Former President tack50]

Suppose that-- ignoring, for the moment, of the bad optics and questionable political science behind such a decision-- that Joe Biden were to choose a white male for his running mate.

A bit unrelated, but why would it be bad optics and questionable political science? Biden should pick the most qualified running mate regardless of race and gender

A fair enough concern to raise. I'd say 1) He's already pledged to pick a woman; and 2) Given how diverse the Democratic Party is, picking two people from the most privileged sex and race is problematic. Especially now that we have dozens and dozens of qualified women and persons of color.

I understand 1, though it was the wrong pledge to make in my opinion. Obviously it would be very bad optics to backtrack now.

As for 2 I understand but it's not like there aren't tons of qualified white men as well?

In a ""fair"" universe, considering that the US are basically 50% male and like 60% white (but let's round this to 50%), that means that, knowing Biden won the primary, he has a 25% chance of picking a white man as his running mate.

In fact, iirc there was some study, poll or something like that that basically showed that even the Democratic base is not majority minority (at least not yet).