Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee, said he would undoubtedly select former first lady Michelle Obama to be his running mate, though he admitted she likely does not want to jump back into politics anytime soon.
“I’d take her in a heartbeat,” Biden said in a Monday interview with CBS Pittsburgh when asked if he would add Obama to the ticket. “She’s brilliant. She knows the way around. She is a really fine woman. The Obamas are great friends.”
However, he said he doubts she wants the job.
“I don’t think she has any desire to live near the White House again,” Biden said.
In the same interview, Biden reiterated his pledge to select a woman as his running mate and said the vetting process is still ongoing.
“I’ll commit to that [it will] be a woman because it is very important that my administration look like the public, look like the nation,” he said. “And there will be, committed that there will be a woman of color on the Supreme Court, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a vice president, as well.”
Biden previously proposed the former first lady as his running mate, telling supporters at an Iowa campaign stop in January that he “sure would like Michelle to be the vice president.” During the same event, he also floated his former boss, President Barack Obama, as a possible Supreme Court Justice pick.
“Yeah, I would, but I don’t think he’d do it,” the Democrat said when asked if he would choose Obama to sit on the High Court. “He’d be a great Supreme Court justice.”
Biden’s latest remarks come as his campaign is vetting several women as potential running mates, including former White House candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Also under consideration are Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams (D).
In a recent interview with Elle, Abrams reaffirmed her interest in running with Biden, saying she would be “honored” to do so and “would be an excellent running mate.”
“I have the capacity to attract voters by motivating typically ignored communities. I have a strong history of executive and management experience in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. I’ve spent 25 years in independent study of foreign policy,” said the Georgia Democrat.
“I am ready to help advance an agenda of restoring America’s place in the world. If I am selected, I am prepared and excited to serve,” she added.
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