Presidential election: which running mate for Joe Biden?

Text by: Achim Lippold Follow

“If I am elected president, I agree to appoint a woman as vice-president. This is what Joe Biden promised a few months ago during the last public debate with his rival Bernie Sanders. Joe Biden will be officially invested next August at the Democratic Party convention. By then, he must announce the name of his running mate.

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One thing is certain, this casting is a real headache for Joe Biden . There are many factors to take into account, explains Célia Belin, a specialist in American politics at the Brookings Institution in Washington. “  The choice of vice-president is an extremely difficult choice of balance. Already in any other era, it is difficult. A balance must be found between the need to grow the coalition of the candidate who wants to be elected president and a geographical rebalancing. Choosing your running mate is also making up for shortages in the Midwest or in the heart of the United States. And with regard to Democrats, we must also take into account the diversity of society, hence the choice of a woman and perhaps an African-American woman.  "

For Joe Biden, another factor comes into play: his age. If elected, he will be the age of Ronald Reagan when the latter left the American presidency. At 78, he needs a running mate who can if necessary quickly take control of the country, continues Célia Belin, who has just published, with Fayard editions, Democrats in America, the hour of choices against Trump. For the political scientist , the decision of the former vice president to take a woman by his side was very clever. "  There is a great demand in the Democratic Party for a woman to occupy this position, because in recent years women have become an engine of the Democratic movement.  "

Two options, two strategic choices

Joe Biden is faced with two options: choosing a representative of the progressive wing of the country - that would be a way of telling supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders that he listened to them - or a representative of diversity, namely a woman from of a minority. Among the women vying for the post of vice-president, the senator of Massachusetts Elisabeth Warren represents best the first option, while the profile of the Californian senator Kamala Harris corresponds well to the second option.

According to the American media, Joe Biden's team has established a sort of “  short list  ” of a dozen candidates, including other African-Americans such as the former national security adviser of Barack Obama, Susan Rice , Florida's elected official Val Demings or even the mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms . Val Demings is also with the ex-member of Georgia, Stacey Abrams, the only one to campaign publicly to get the "  job  ". All the candidates were auditioned by the team of Joe Biden. He himself made known three criteria that would weigh in the balance: the capacity to assume the presidency, the sharing of his political objectives and a good understanding. It has to be "  simpatico,  " said Joe Biden.

Kamala Harris vs Elizabeth Warren: their strengths and weaknesses

According to the American media, it is Kamala Harris, the Californian senator and former candidate for the primary of the party which has the wind in its sails. With an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, she has the advantage of being from minorities. And that counts in rebellious America after the brutal death of the African-American George Floyd . But it also has faults. First, it represents a state already won over to the Democrats. Then, her past as a San Francisco prosecutor is not without task: in 2015, she had refused an investigation into police violence in California. During the primary campaign, Kamala Harris also harshly criticized Joe Biden . But all that does not matter any more according to her: “  It was a debate. And in a debate, there are inevitably different points of view , she declared a few days ago. I support Joe Biden a thousand percent and I will do my best to get him elected.  "

Another parliamentarian is very active in running her campaign for the vice-presidency behind the scenes: Elizabeth Warren. Senator from Massachusetts, she would have the advantage of joining the progressive wing behind Joe Biden. But it could also constitute a defect, according to Celia Belin. “  At this point, Kamala Harris seems the most willing, because she is less ideological. On racial issues, she put forward a program that is less progressive than that of Elizabeth Warren. On paper, it better matches the profile sought since the start of anti-racist protests. And, in general, it corresponds better to the candidacy of Joe Biden whose objective is to build a coalition around him rather than taking a risk of ideological cleavage.  "

Choosing an African-American, "not an obligation, but a plus"

The question is ultimately: should Joe Biden really choose an African American running mate? According to African-American MP James Clyborn, "  it's a plus, not a must  ", a plus, but not an obligation. Another criterion to consider during this casting is that of enthusiasm. As Célia Belin points out, Joe Biden arouses very little enthusiasm, even less than Hillary Clinton in 2016. He is considered the candidate best able to beat Donald Trump , so this is the reason that guided the base of the gone in his choice of candidate, not the heart.

To compensate for this lack, it would need a running mate which it arouses enthusiasm, without however overshadowing it. Again, the equation is difficult. Joe Biden is expected to announce his choice in early August.

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• United States
• Joe Biden
• Donald trump

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