Who Biden should pick for VP

Although the Democratic presidential primary continues, it appears highly likely Joe Biden will win the nomination.

I still plan to vote for Bernie Sanders when Kansas holds its primary. But to Joe Biden, his campaign, and his supporters, I offer my congratulations on his likely victory. 

I encourage Bernie Sanders to stay in the race as long as he wishes to do so. But I don’t think it’s too early for Biden to be thinking about who he should choose to hold key offices in his administration, should he win the 2020 presidential election. 

The most visible of those officials will of course be Biden’s vice presidential nominee, who will run alongside Biden on the ballot. 

That choice has the potential to sway voters who might not vote for Biden otherwise. 

John McCain’s decision to choose Sarah Palin as VP cost him credibility and likely lost him votes in 2008. 

Here are my recommendations for potential Vice Presidential candidates for Biden to consider, which fall into two distinct camps. Biden can focus on uniting the Democratic party or uniting the country.

Unite the Party

Many supporters of Bernie Sanders are dispirited by Biden’s likely victory as the party’s nominee. Some of them might vote third party or sit out the election if Biden doesn’t prove he shares many parts of their agenda, even if he wants to achieve it in a more incrementalist way.

I strongly recommend Biden choose someone who can reach out to Sanders supporters who are disenchanted with the political system and how it traditionally operates.

The most obvious choice would be Sanders himself.

Sanders supporters with a Bernie-or-bust mentality would likely vote for Sanders in the general election if he were Biden’s running mate.  

Sanders and Biden refer to each other as friends, and they refrained from attacking each other too harshly during the primary. What better way to unite the party than by having the top two candidates run together?

Certainly, there are many in the party who want a woman on the ticket, and Biden has promised to nominate a woman as VP. Nina Turner, one of Sanders’ campaign co-chairs, has enthusiastic support among Bernie supporters. Choosing her for Vice President would unify the party.

Alternatively, another progressive candidate Biden could choose would be Elizabeth Warren.

Many Sanders supporters are upset with her, because they believe Warren misrepresented a conversation that took place between Sanders and Warren in a way that made Sanders look sexist.

Moreover, many Sanders supporters are mad at her for not endorsing Sanders in either 2016 or 2020, despite their similar policy platforms. 

Sanders supporters also criticize Warren for not dropping out of the presidential race ahead of Super Tuesday, which helped split the progressive vote and open up a lead for Biden.

But by the time November rolls around, I think most Sanders supporters would be willing to look past those concerns and vote for one of the most progressive politicians of our generation for vice president.

Unite the Country

Alternatively, Biden could focus on uniting the country following the deep political divisions of the Trump era.

Electorally, I think uniting the Democratic party by reaching out to its progressive wing is more important, but uniting the country is admirable goal.

Biden has said he is willing to consider nominating a Republican as Vice President.

I can think of two Republicans who would make great vice presidents, who would also attract widespread support among Democratic voters.

Bill Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts, ran this year in the Republican primary against Donald Trump. Weld supports LGBT rights, abortion rights, and wants to repeal the federal government’s laws that criminalize marijuana. 

Weld ran as the Libertarian Party’s vice presidential nominee in 2016, alongside Gary Johnson. Weld might be able to attract libertarian votes in the general election.

Weld would be a Republican who many Democrats, like myself, could enthusiastically support as VP.

Another good choice would be Jon Huntsman, who served as Ambassador to China under the Obama Administration.

Huntsman, the former governor of Utah, ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. He also served as the Trump administration’s Ambassador to Russia.

During the 2012 presidential campaign, Huntsman tweeted, “To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.”

During that campaign, Huntsman also argued the U.S. should reduce the number of its troops deployed to Afghanistan.

A competent Republican who believes in science who served in both the Obama and Trump administrations would strike many Americans, myself included, as a breath of fresh air as VP.

Moreover, both Weld and Huntsman have served as governors, giving them executive experience that could prove useful if either needed to become president.

If the Biden campaign doesn’t like any of these choices, they are welcome to check out my VP recommendations for other Democratic presidential primary candidates. Many of those potential VPs would be good matches for Biden as well.