Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has asked Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar to undergo vetting so she can be considered as a potential vice presidential running mate.
CBS News reports: The request for information from potential running mates like Klobuchar “is underway,” a senior Biden campaign aide tells CBS News. If a potential contender consents, she should be poised to undergo a rigorous multi-week review of her public and private life and work by a hand-picked group of Biden confidantes, who will review tax returns, public speeches, voting records, past personal relationships and potentially scandalous details from her past. While several are expected to consent to a vetting, at least one potential contender has bowed out. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, who is running for reelection this year, declined Biden’s invitation to be considered, according to a person familiar with her decision. But Senator Maggie Hassan, the other New Hampshire senator, has agreed to be vetted, according to local news reports.
While Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams have dominated public speculation, one influential Democrat told Vanity Fair this week that Klobuchar remains in contention.
“The theory is she would help him in the Midwest and in swing states, because Klobuchar doesn’t scare off moderates like Liz Warren does,” the Democrat said. “Joe would also be betting that blacks are so energized to get rid of Trump that he could get through not picking Harris or Abrams, because he’ll have Barack Obama hitting the field for him. That’s one calculus. I don’t know that I agree.”
More from the Hill: If Biden were to choose Klobuchar as his running mate, he would add a fellow moderate to the Democratic ticket – a move that may help win over some independents and centrists, but one that would almost certainly anger liberals, who are pushing Biden to choose a progressive as his running mate. Norman Solomon, a longtime activist who is advising the progressive political action committee Once Again PAC, said that it would be a mistake for Biden to choose Klobuchar as his running mate, arguing that it would upend his efforts to unite the Democratic Party. “Someone like Klobuchar is anathema to broadening the ticket,” Solomon said in a recent interview. “If Biden is serious about unity then he’s got to pitch a tent big enough to include progressives.”
A few reactions below.
