WASHINGTON: US Senator Amy Klobuchar withdrew from consideration as Joe Biden’s potential vice president Thursday, saying the Democratic nominee should choose a woman of color as his running mate.
Klobuchar, herself a former 2020 presidential hopeful, said the coast-to-coast protests that erupted in the aftermath of a brutal police killing of a black man in her state of Minnesota helped her realize the need for greater diversity in the presidential contest.
“After what I’ve seen in my state, what I’ve seen across the country, this is a historic moment, and America must seize on this moment,” Klobuchar, who is white, told cable network MSNBC.
“I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket.”
The 60-year-old lawmaker, a centrist in the mold of Biden, said she called the former vice president Wednesday to say that picking a black woman as his partner in the race would help “heal this nation.”
Biden, in a tweet, praised Amy’s “grit and determination.”
“You know how to get things done. With your help, we’re going to beat Donald Trump,” Biden said.
Biden, 77, has pledged to pick a female running mate.
Klobuchar was often mentioned because she could help Biden in Midwestern states which could prove crucial in November’s election.
But as protests against racial injustice surged, so did the prospects for African American women in the so-called veepstakes.
Top VP options include Senator Kamala Harris, Congresswoman Val Demings, and Obama-era national security adviser Susan Rice.
