Progressive groups urge Biden to tap Warren as running mate

A pair of national progressive groups are urging former Vice President Joe Biden to tap Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as his running mate, the latest push by activists to install a liberal on the presidential ticket. 

In an open letter to Biden, Progressive Democrats of America and RootsAction.org said that picking Warren would not only install an experienced lawmaker as his No. 2 but would also send a message to liberals that he was trying to unite the party ahead of the general election.

“If you want to unify the party and take back the White House, then you should choose the running mate best suited to those goals: Elizabeth Warren,” they wrote.

“Senator Warren is deeply qualified to be our next vice president, bringing decades of experience and a track record of leadership on issues from the Green New Deal to fighting corporate greed and corruption – issues that excite the progressive voters you’ll need to win the White House. Few senators have fought harder and more consistently for the kinds of structural reforms that would lift up working-class families and communities.” 

Progressive Democrats of America said in a separate release that it polled its members last week on who they backed for Biden’s running mate, with 52 percent saying they prefer Warren. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) finished in a distant second with 18 percent.

“For voters and activists who supported Bernie Sanders in the primary, it’s vital that Biden choose a running mate with a longstanding progressive track record of fighting for the working families of this country,” said Alan Minsky, executive director of Progressive Democrats of America. “Elizabeth Warren fits that bill, and she’s popular with Democratic voters in the progressive and centrist wings of the party.”

Biden has been the target of a sustained pressure campaign from an array of outside groups to pick their preferred running mate, though he has said he would prioritize someone with whom he’s “simpatico” and prepared to lead the country.

Warren is reported to be among those being seriously considered by the Biden camp and is undergoing the vetting process, with allies saying she’d be able to win over progressives who remain skeptical of Biden’s centrist brand of politics.

However, the former vice president has been urged to pick a woman of color as his running mate in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month and widespread unrest over police brutality and systemic racism. 

Among the other contenders being considered for vice president are Harris, Rep. Val Demings of Florida and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

“We’re just underway now in the hard vet of going into the deep background checks that take anywhere from six to eight weeks to be done,” Biden said at a press conferenceTuesday. 

“Early August. I can’t guarantee you Aug. 1, but it will be in early August, several weeks before the convention,” he added, referring to the Democratic National Convention that will be held from Aug. 17 to Aug. 20 in Milwaukee.