A coalition of liberal groups is calling on Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders to choose a woman of color as their running mate, as a way to boost turnout among the key groups of voters Democrats need to win the presidency.
In a letter sent to both candidates, the last two viable contenders in the Democratic primary, the groups note that women and people of color make up the majority of the party’s voters in the last two presidential elections. “At the intersection of those communities … women of color have a unique and critical role to play in galvanizing the entire progressive coalition,” the letter reads.
Biden, a former vice president, pledged during Sunday’s Democratic debate to pick a woman as his running mate if the wins the nomination. Sanders, a Vermont senator, said he would “in all likelihood” choose a woman. Aimee Allison, founder of She The People, said the letter is “a warning to not repeat the mistake that Hillary Clinton’s campaign made in 2016” by tapping a white male as her running mate. “The warning is, if you have an all-white ticket, if you don’t put a woman of color on the ticket, some of us will come out for you, but not in the numbers you need to win the battle ground states,” Allison said.