VP Watch: Biden Would Be Foolish to Ignore This Fresh Face out of Georgia

By Joe Cunningham | 5:00 AM on June 03, 2020

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AP featured image — FILE – In this Jan. 4, 2018, file photo, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks at a press conference in Atlanta. In Georgia, black women will likely factor into one of the country’s marquee political contests. The Democratic race for governor features two women, and candidate Stacey Abrams is running to become the first black woman ever elected governor in America. Bottoms hasn’t officially endorsed a candidate in the gubernatorial race but counted Stacey Evans among her supporters. She said she feels compelled to help empower other women, especially black women. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

With the revelation that Amy Klobuchar did not prosecute the cop who killed George Floyd in an earlier, similar incident, there is no chance the Biden team can risk picking her. Like Stacey Abrams, you can consider Klobuchar’s run for Vice President effectively over.

But while Abrams is in no way on any serious person’s list anymore, that doesn’t mean a fresh, young face from Georgia can’t become Biden’s running mate. There is one person who has really been a very good politician through the COVID-19 crisis and the Floyd protests and certainly has to be on the Democratic Party’s radar now: Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Bottoms has two qualities that are invaluable to Biden: She is deeply progressive and she is politically savvy. Add the fact that she is a progressive woman of color, and I think she would be a much better fit for Biden than Kamala Harris, who is otherwise still at the top of the list.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the Atlanta mayor was outspoken about Governor Brian Kemp’s re-opening plan, but was also quick to admit that she was wrong and continued to work with Kemp all the while. Likewise, she has been a vocal supporter of the protests, but called for peaceful protests instead of riots and looting, and she also put on leave officers who used excessive force on protestors. She has been a very nuanced politician, able to work with a Republican governor but still effectively govern a major American city without it devolving into chaos.

If I were on the Biden team, I would put her on the shortlist immediately and begin vetting her. Even if she did not eventually get the pick, I would be pushing for her success in the party, because she could very easily become a threat to Republicans down the line.

Meanwhile, there is really no change in the other candidates. As I said above, Abrams is a non-contender, Harris is still at the top, and Klobuchar is out. Elizabeth Warren and Gretchen Whitmer really have no chance because neither of them are women of color, and at this point Biden would be incredibly tone-deaf to pick a white woman. The moment demands a black woman in particular, and there are very few options on the list.