Detroit – After a disastrous takeoff in the Democratic primaries, the overwhelming black vote in South and South Carolina overall revived Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. Now, that community is pushing for the confident Democratic presidential candidate to choose a black woman as a running mate.
Biden has said he wants a woman as a vice presidential candidate.
And the black electorate affirms that it must not only be a woman, but also a black race. He warns that the fate of Biden, and the Democratic Party, depends on the black vote in November. And you want tangible compensation for your loyalty, not just a “thank you so much” for going to the polls.
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“Blacks want to see their years of support for the Democratic Party recognized,” said Niambi Carter, a professor of political science at Howard University.
House Democratic House Leader Jim Clyburn, whose endorsement of Biden in South Carolinan was considered vital and the start of an avalanche of major primary victories, said “clearly” he would prefer a black woman. Although he assured that he will not pressure Biden in that regard.
âI have three adult African American daughters. I certainly prefer a black woman, but it doesn’t have to be that way, “he said. “I made that pretty clear.”
Biden has been unusually frank about the people he would consider for his formula and mentioned two black women, Senator Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams, who made many waves in running for Georgie. Representative Val Demings and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms are also being discussed.
However, Biden is believed to also consider white women as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
President Donald Trump said Biden should select Warren, claiming that Bernie Sanders “would have won all the states on Super Tuesday” if she had withdrawn from the race earlier.
Zerlina Maxwell, former director of progressive media contacts for the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, said Biden has an opportunity to recognize the political strength of black women.
“The Democratic nominee has to make it clear that he understands the current moment and that he understands that black women are the foundation of the success of the Democratic Party at all levels,” said Maxwell.
Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of the Black PAC political action committee, said black voters want “authenticity.”
“People tell us they want a candidate who understands them,” Shropshire said.
He added that this does not imply that the vice presidential candidate must be a black woman.
“Having a black woman (in the formula) would please many people, but at the same time I would say that in the primaries the black electorate did not ask ‘who is the black candidate?’ And I don’t think they will do it in relation to the vice presidency, “he said. “Ultimately, what people want is to win” the elections.
Tharon Jonson, a prominent black political strategist who worked on Barack Obama’s two presidential campaigns, said Biden should focus on the “energy” a candidate brings, not his race.
“I fully support the idea that it is time for a black woman to be in the formula,” Johnson said. “But he has to consider a lot of factors. Like who will mobilize the vote in the states that count and who can generate more enthusiasm â.
Biden campaign co-director Cedric Richmond, leader of the lower-house black bloc and steadfast standard-bearer for blacks in the Democratic ranks, says Biden cannot be forced to select someone based on race.
“It is not a matter of appointing someone to appease a certain sector,” he said.
Kennet Walden, a 26-year-old black who lives in North Carolina, one of the undecided states, believes that if the vice candidate is not black, “it will be repeated in 2016, when the formula was white and did not generate much enthusiasm.”
“Blacks would feel betrayed,” said Walden, who works in telecommunications and on a YouTube show. “We no longer vote only for one party.”
Cierra Conerly, 32, who owns a store, said someone is missing who has acceptance in different groups.
“I am African American, I am a woman, I have a business and I am LGBTQ,” said Conerly, who lives in Arizona, another undecided state that Democrats hope to wrest from Republicans. âAll of these things are important. I want someone to reach everyone. â
