When former Vice President Joe Biden began thinking of potential …
When former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenNAACP seeks to boost Black voter turnout in six statesBiden touts Trump saying Harris would be ‘fine choice’ for VP pickKamala Harris: The conventional (and predictable) pick all alongMORE began thinking of potential running mates this spring, one of the first people to come to mind was Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisNAACP seeks to boost Black voter turnout in six statesBiden touts Trump saying Harris would be ‘fine choice’ for VP pickKamala Harris: The conventional (and predictable) pick all alongMORE (D-Calif.).
She was a friend to his late son Beau Biden, former top prosecutor for the state of California and the kind of fighter needed in a campaign against President TrumpDonald John TrumpDemocrat calls on White House to withdraw ambassador to Belarus nomineeTikTok collected data from mobile devices to track Android users: reportPeterson wins Minnesota House primary in crucial swing districtMORE. On top of all that, she already had been through the slugfest of a presidential primary campaign, which included several direct confrontations with Biden himself.
Over the weekend, upon making his final decision, Biden finished where he began.
“She was always in the narrative from the beginning,” said one source who is close to Biden. “And even after that, it was always Kamala and this person and Kamala and that person. She was never ever out of the picture. She was always in the mix.”
Another confidant characterized Bidens final decision as classic Joe.
He did what he always does, the source said. Whenever theres a discussion about policy or the issues of the day, he would come in with what he thought but he will and does entertain everyones opinions.
At certain points, it seems like he may change his mind, but typically he ends up where he starts, the confidant added.
After pledging to pick a woman as his running mate, Biden brought in various Democrats, including Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance BottomsKeisha Lance BottomsBiden says he supports additional funding for the policeFormer Atlanta police officer who shot Rayshard Brooks files lawsuit over firingAtlanta mayor rips Trump over John Lewis comments: ‘He doesn’t care anything about the history of this country’MORE, Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenKamala Harris: The conventional (and predictable) pick all alongOn The Money: McConnell says it’s time to restart coronavirus talks | New report finds majority of Americans support merger moratorium | Corporate bankruptcies on pace for 10-year highHillicon Valley: Facebook removed over 22 million posts for hate speech in second quarter | Republicans introduce bill to defend universities against hackers targeting COVID-19 research | Facebook’s Sandberg backs Harris as VP pickMORE (Mass.), Michigan Gov. Gretchen WhitmerGretchen WhitmerThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Trump to Democratic negotiators: ‘They know my phone number’Harris favored as Biden edges closer to VP pickWillie Brown: Kamala Harris should ‘politely decline’ any offer to be Biden’s running mateMORE, former national security adviser Susan Rice, and Reps. Karen BassKaren Ruth BassHillicon Valley: Facebook removed over 22 million posts for hate speech in second quarter | Republicans introduce bill to defend universities against hackers targeting COVID-19 research | Facebook’s Sandberg backs Harris as VP pickFacebook’s Sheryl Sandberg hails Harris’s VP nominationWomen on Biden’s rumored VP short list tweet support for choice of HarrisMORE (Calif.) and Val DemingsValdez (Val) Venita DemingsKamala Harris: The conventional (and predictable) pick all alongCentrists, progressives rally around Harris pick for VPHillicon Valley: Facebook removed over 22 million posts for hate speech in second quarter | Republicans introduce bill to defend universities against hackers targeting COVID-19 research | Facebook’s Sandberg backs Harris as VP pickMORE (Fla.).
I think he wanted to consider every qualified woman out there, the confidant said. Whitmer definitely was having a moment with COVID, Keisha Lance Bottoms also caught his attention, Val Demings also looked good for a while there, he liked Elizabeth Warrens ideas. He basically wanted to try all of that on for size and see how it added up.
But I think he felt like [Harris] was not only the best person for the campaign, but the best partner to govern the country, the confidant added.
Biden talked at length about nominating someone he is close with a partner that he said would be simpatico with him personally and professionally.
That added an emotional element into the mix that led some to believe he would pick Rice, a trusted colleague from their time in the Obama administration.
David AxelrodDavid AxelrodThe other reason Democrats want Biden to shun debatesShould Biden consider a veteran for vice president?The Hill’s Coronavirus Report: Rep. Lauren Underwood says Americans face economic crisis if Senate fails to act on unemployment benefits extension; US surpasses 4 million cases, 1,000+ deaths for third straight day MORE, who was a senior White House adviser in the Obama administration, wrote in a CNN op-ed Tuesday after the announcement that Biden reportedly clicked well with Whitmer. The Michigan governor was flown to Delaware to meet with Biden just days before Tuesdays announcement.
But in the end, it was the emotional tug of his son Beau Biden that may have tipped the scales.
Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46. Biden was devastated by his sons death and declined to run for president in 2016 as he mourned.
Now, as the presumptive Democratic nominee, Biden cast his selection of Harris in part as a tribute to his late son, remembering how Beau introduced him to her.
At the time, Harris was attorney general of California and Beau was attorney general of Delaware.
[Beau] had enormous respect for her and her work, Biden said. I thought a lot about that as I made this decision. There is no ones opinion I valued more than Beaus and Im proud to have Kamala standing with me on this campaign.
There were, of course, political considerations for Biden as well.
Democrats say it was imperative he choose a woman of color following the May 25 police killing of George Floyd that provoked a national conversation about race.
During the selection process, a group of influential Black women pressed Biden to choose a Black running mate. A source close to the campaign said Biden’s conversations with renowned Democratic advisers Minyon Moore, Donna BrazileDonna Lease BrazileTrump tweets ‘we all miss’ Ailes after swiping at FoxTrump complains Fox News is ‘doing nothing to help’ him get reelectedNervous Democrats are sweating the small stuffMORE, Leah Daughtry and Karen Finney “stuck with the VP” during an important moment in the country’s history.
A white vice presidential pick, many Democrats said, would have risked low turnout among Black voters on Election Day, one of the reasons why Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonNAACP seeks to boost Black voter turnout in six statesCalifornia Dems back Yang after he expresses disappointment over initial DNC lineupThe Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden picks Harris as running mateMORE lost in 2016.
Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent, is now vying to be the first woman and the first person of color to be vice president.
Had he not picked a person of color, it would have been a slap in face to the entire community on top of just being a terrible political move, said one Democrat who has raised money for Biden.
Still, those who know Harris well say the senator grew increasingly nervous about her standing in the final weeks of the process, particularly as Bass started to make headlines for receiving key endorsements.
“I think in some respects, she thought, ‘I’m a national figure. I’ve run a national campaign, I’ve been vetted. And here she is a senator from California in a race against a congresswoman from California,” said one Harris ally.
Throughout the process, Harris was also seen as the safe pick among those on Bidens shortlist.
“Internal polling showed she was risk averse,” said one Biden ally. “She was the least polarizing choice. Of course she has baggage but who doesn’t?
Rice, meanwhile, had never been through a presidential campaign, and the Benghazi storyline from 2012 would give Republicans an easy line of attack. Bass encountered troubles over her past praise of Cuba and Scientology, while Warren and Whitmer would not have added a person of color to the ticket.
While Harris has some clear drawbacks she said she believed women who accused Biden of unwanted touching, has been criticized on the left for prosecuting racial minorities for low-level drug offenses and embraced single-payer health care during the primaries Biden insiders view those as manageable.
In the end, Biden seriously considered others but returned to Harris as the ‘do no harm’ candidate, unlikely to thrill or outrage many, Axelrod wrote. She may not seem the most comfortable fit as a governing partner, a quality Biden said he was seeking, but Harris was viewed as the safest pick to win in November.
There will certainly be some uncomfortable times ahead.
Many Democrats assume Biden, 77, will not seek a second term if he wins in November. That makes Harris the front-runner for the 2024 nomination, and some Democrats worry she will prioritize her own political fortunes above Bidens.
Now that shes the heir apparent, everything she does will be about her, not necessarily the Biden administration, the Democratic fundraiser said. That means never falling on her sword or duking it out to bring a Democratic senator in line or generally doing what Biden did in the Obama administration.
But Bidenworld seems content with Harris.
“He’s running a campaign of low risk and she was the best choice,” said one Biden ally. “And the fact of the matter is, she’s the best complement to him of all the contenders. So that’s how she won the race.”