Can we talk about Democratic running mates for a minute?

Politics & Elections
1

I know the popular thing to say is that the #2 isn’t important. But I argue otherwise. The running mate fleshes out the ticket, it pulls people in. Or further pushes them away.

In 2016, Pence gave evangelicals and possibly some suburban voters comfort to go full-throated for Trump. And Biden eased the minds of blue collar Industrial Midwesterners of the Caucasian persuasion in 2008. And Cheney gave W some gravitas where he needed it, especially in the area of foreign relations/defense. In '92, Gore may have reinforced Clinton’s strengths: Young, new, southern.

On the flip side, Palin didn’t do McCain any favors, and neither did Lieberman, Quayle or Kaine help their tickets much.

So who’s waiting in the wings for the Dems. There’s a shitton of pearl clutching at present about the current crop of Dem front-runners being too old, too left, too young, too gay, too white, too whatever; but I think any one of them, with a good, strategic choice of running mate is wholly capable of winning in 2020.

So I offer my thoughts on the four current leaders:

Biden. He needs to rope in Latinos & progressives, needs to have someone young and with federal and/or high-level executive experience. Female would be ideal. My picks:

  1. Sally Yates. As the person who got fired for refusing to enforce Trump’s Muslim ban EO in early 2017, she has a certain appeal to those in the “resistance.” She’s from Georgia, so she brings some southern diversity to the ticket. She’s a woman, younger and has experience in the DOJ.
  2. Hilda Solis. She’s currently serving on the LA County Board of Supervisors. Previously was Obama’s Sec of Labor, and before that a member of Congress. Daughter of immigrants, daughter of a Teamster organizer. She’s be great to bring in Latino voters, without scaring away the white blue-collar lunch-bucket voters in the Midwest; she can hang in the union halls. Plus she has federal executive branch experience.
  3. Tammy Duckworth. Not a progressive by any means, but is a woman of color from the Midwest (currently sitting in Obama’s old Senate seat). A disabled war vet with military roots stretching back to the American Revolution. She’s a suburban mom with a relatively-new baby at home who is the one (I believe) to coin the term “Cadet Bone Spurs” in regard to Trump. She’s a badass, imo. She would reinforce Biden’s strengths.

Warren. IMO, she needs a male, a moderate, ideally an African-American (or someone who can really, really turn out the AA community), and someone from the Industrial Midwest and/or a swing state.

  1. Rep. Anthony G. Brown. Congressman from Maryland. Retired military, comes across a gruff but likable. African-American.
  2. Anthony Foxx. Former mayor of Charlotte, NC, and served as Obama’s Secretary of Transportation, which would be a nice olive leaf to the Obama Universe; she needs it. Gen-X African-American, currently works for Uber. Has executive experience (mayor), and from what I’ve read, he was a pretty popular/successful mayor.
  3. Adm. Bill McRaven. Brings military gravitas and moderation to the ticket. He’s a good speaker and he freaking led the mission that killed Bin Laden. He’s from Texas, so he brings geographical diversity to the ticket.

Buttigieg. Desperately needs someone to appeal to African-American voters. Also needs someone with DC experience.

  1. Sen. Cory Booker. Brings DC experience to the ticket as well as African-American voters.
  2. Rep. Brenda Lawrence. I admit, she’s a dark horse unknown. But she is a retired USPS worker from southeast Michigan. Her husband is retired UAW. She got her start in politics on the school board, moved up to mayor, and is now a member of Congress. She represents one of the most economically, racially, religiously, and politically diverse areas in the state of Michigan. She’s a progressive African-American woman who has *not *been a career politician.
  3. ??? Maybe the aforementioned Anthony Foxx? Deval Patrick?

Sanders. Desperately needs a moderate, person of color, young, ideally from the Midwest.

  1. Tammy Duckworth. I have no other suggestions for Bernie. She’s the strawberry jam to his peanut butter.

Anyway, gimme your thoughts. This race is gonna need to be a legit ticket that helps the Dem nominee win a coalition of voters (Industrial Midwest, union, black, latino, young, progressive, moderate, military, etc). Feel free to critique my pics, offer alternatives, or expand beyond the top four front-runners with your ideal running mates.

2

Thanks for your research and helpful observations. I have nothing to add, but look forward to this thread bubbling under the surface of our “bigger” threads, popping up with the occasional important post over the next several months.

3

Provided they don’t hate each other, I would want the running mate to be the runner up in the convention. Stands to reason that that person would have the 2nd largest backing. We need numbers!

4

Inslee dropped out of the race too soon. Now is the time for his more central but still activist agenda. He could speak up to and counsel either Warren or Sanders or Kloubuchar.
Tammy Duckworth is an excellent pick for her background and for her politics .
I would like to see someone with leadership in military experience. I’m afraid we are going to need it.

5

It’s not just the popular thing. I know of no evidence that concludes that the VP makes any significant difference.

There are studies that say that the VP may provide a point or two extra in a home state, but that usually is where the state is small enough that name recognition alone can affect voting.

As long as the Dems don’t select Eric Trump, the difference will be negligible, even in a close election.

6

Sarah Palin didn’t scare the living shit out of sentient Americans? She scared the living shit out of ME.

7

I really like Duckworth as my Senator, but I’m not sure she have any real impact in the Midwest. Illinois really does stand alone because of Chicago.

8

Since Michelle Obama probably will say no, I’d reallly like to see another African-American woman as #2. Lori Lightfoot or Stacey Abrams?

9

Tammy Duckworth is raising a child right now and I don’t think, outside of a few speeches, she wants a larger role. Durbin won’t be around forever and she’s a Senator from Illinois as long as she wants it.

10

Lori Lightfoot??? She’s been mayor less than a year and just had to take on the Chicago Teachers Union.

11

I think Mayor Pete would benefit from a running mate who both appeals to African Americans as well as someone who is older / more experienced. Stacey Abrams would be a good pick for him.

12

I think Palin did make a difference; the pick called McCain’s judgment into question. Otherwise the VP pick is meh. Except with Biden. Like with FDR in 44, you have to think seriously about the possibility that the VP will become POTUS.

13

She wasn’t picked for sentient Americans. She was picked for Republicans.

14

From a marketing perspective, need to appeal to the largest voting blocks that are up for grabs. Whatshisface, Kaine, proved that having a Spanish speaking white guy as your VP didn’t help the ticket. Probably one of those coulda shoulda woulda unenforced errors that a better pick might have put Hillary in the White House.

If the nominee is a male, then need a female to balance out the ticket.

If the nominee is a person of color, then need either a different color or someone that can diffuse the threat raised by a person of color (Obama Biden springs to mind)

If the nominee is a old white guy, then need a woman and/or person of color to fulfill the plan B when the Pres is incapacitated. (May be the easiest way to break the glass ceiling)

If the nominee is gay, then need someone straight to balance it out. (Kinda the polar opposite of Trump picking Pence to pull in the fundie support)

15

While I agree with your premise, I personally don’t see the appeal of Abrams (but that’s just me). How about Julian Castro or Cory Booker?

What’s also interesting with regard to Buttigieg is whether he should double down in the outside Washington status or seek an insider - does he seek out a governor, perhaps, or does he seek a senator or other person working in DC?
…
Personally, for any candidate, I’d love to see Montana Senator John Tester as a running mate. He’s the kind of plain spoken salt of the earth type (dude only has 3 fingers on one hand because of a farming accident!) who would give pause to a lot of disillusioned Trump voters.

16

I’d add Tammy Baldwin for Biden. Or Sanders.

17

I think that it was Nixon who said that the best you can hope for with a VP nominee is that they don’t hurt you.

18

I disagree. I think that pandering to the Democratic base through some sort of virtue-signaling via the VP pick isn’t going to accomplish much of anything. Once you do that, you’re putting the people who aren’t affiliated with either party in the position of having to pick between two extremes.

Better to paint one side (the GOP) as dangerously reactionary and extreme, while touting your own moderation and even-handedness.

19

So there are no women or people of color who might actuallly be qualified for the position? Any such pick could only come as the result of virtue-signaling pandering? All even-handed moderates know that only white men are suited for public office? Got it. Thanks for sharing.

20

My hurried rank: (assuming the top 5 won’t VP for another top 5):

  1. Abrams
  2. Castro
  3. Booker