538: How Will Biden Choose His Running Mate?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

There will likely be months of debate over who presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden should pick as his running mate — and what criteria he should use in making that decision.

We already know one such criterion: Biden has pledged to choose a woman. But what else is he looking for in a vice presidential nominee?

One view of the vice presidential selection process, often expressed by people who themselves work for campaigns, is that the presidential nominee is making a personal choice, opting for someone whom he or she connects with and feels would be a strong partner in governing. Another view, according to research we (Adler and Azari) have done, is that the vice presidential choice often reflects broader dynamics in the party. In this view the nominee often chooses a running mate who connects with some broader goal of the party or who helps appeal to some faction or ideological bloc in the party that is not well represented by the candidate at the top of the ticket.

It’s really hard for us to establish whether Biden enjoys chatting more with Sen. Kamala Harris or Sen. Amy Klobuchar, so we’re going to take a party-centered approach to this question. We can look at the Democratic Party and some of its goals and use those as a rubric to evaluate some of Biden’s potential running mates. We have focused here on women who are either governors or senators — the traditional resumes of a vice presidential pick — but have also included a few noteworthy figures who don’t hold statewide office.

-more-

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/will-biden-choose-a-running-mate-based-on-electability-ideology-or-identity/

[LakeArenal]

1. I love Amy.

However I really hope not any primary challengers.

[FM123]

2. Good article.

I personally think that Congresswoman Val Demings should get more serious consideration. She is a woman of color from a swing state that would leave no vacancies in the senate, especially at a time we are trying to flip it blue and demote Moscow Mitch from Senate Leader.

So it’s likely that Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Harris and Lujan Grisham all will get a serious look from Biden and his team and that they will also consider more nontraditional choices, like Abrams and U.S. Rep Val Demings of Florida, in part to meet the party’s demand for a racially diverse ticket.

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. Good read.

Here is one summation of their criteria further down the article:

1) Harris: three positives, no negatives.
2) Abrams: two positives, no negatives.
3) Duckworth: two positives, no negatives.
4) Klobuchar: one positive, two negatives.
5) Warren: one positive, three negatives.