Progressive Groups Say Biden-Warren Ticket Best Way to Excite Voters and 'Win the White House'

A pair of national progressive organizations that endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary published an open letter Tuesday morning urging presumptive nominee Joe Biden to select Sen. Elizabeth Warren as his running mate in order to "unify the party and take back the White House."

"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," said Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and RootsAction, which together represent more than a million grassroots activists nationwide.

"If Joe Biden wants a vice president who will help him tackle some of the greatest challenges our country has ever faced--and be ready to govern on day one--Senator Warren is his best choice."
--Jeff Cohen, RootsAction

"Few senators have fought harder and more consistently for the kinds of structural reforms that would lift up working-class families and communities," the groups wrote. "Senator Warren has also proposed some of the most comprehensive policy plans to deal with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. She has the tenacity and expertise to help ordinary Americans steer through this crisis, and she'd be ready to govern on day one."

Biden--who has vowed to pick a woman as his running mate--is reportedly considering more than a dozen candidates for his vice presidential pick, including Warren, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

With Biden facing calls from a number of Democrats and pundits to select a woman of color as his running mate, some Black progressives have urged the former vice president to pick Warren--and recent survey data suggests that the Massachusetts senator is the most popular choice among Black and progressive voters.

"Folks are saying we need a Black woman, and I understand where they're coming from," Angela Peoples, the director of the organizing group Black Womxn For, toldThe Hill last week. "But what's most important and what needs to be prioritized is leadership that is committed and is pushing for these big structural shifts in our country and people who are rooted and listening to our community."

McClatchy reported earlier this month that "if Biden's aim is to mobilize both Black and progressive voters, Warren may hold the strongest hand statistically."

"A Morning Consult poll showed Warren driving more Black votes to Biden than Harris or Stacey Abrams, the unsuccessful Georgia gubernatorial candidate," McClatchy noted. "A separate April survey showed Warren demonstrating the most consistent support among white and Black voters in the battlegrounds of Michigan and Wisconsin."

Among the candidates under consideration, PDA and RootsAction argued that Warren represents the best chance for Biden to form "a unity ticket, one capable of generating enthusiasm from the Democratic Party and beyond--and defeating Donald Trump in November."

Alan Minsky, executive director of PDA, said in a statement that "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."

RootsAction co-founder Jeff Cohen echoed that sentiment, arguing that Warren as the vice presidential nominee would both appeal to progressive voters and be prepared to govern amid a pandemic and an economic crisis should Biden win the presidency.

"Elizabeth Warren has put out comprehensive plans to address the coronavirus pandemic, and the perilous economic situation of poor and working-class Americans," said Cohen. "If Joe Biden wants a vice president who will help him tackle some of the greatest challenges our country has ever faced--and be ready to govern on day one--Senator Warren is his best choice."

Read the full open letter:

Dear Vice President Biden,

As the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, your choice of a vice-presidential candidate will be critically important in the run-up to 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. 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.

Senator Warren has also proposed some of the most comprehensive policy plans to deal with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. She has the tenacity and expertise to help ordinary Americans steer through this crisis, and she'd be ready to govern on day one. For all of these reasons, we're asking you to choose her as your vice president. Biden-Warren would represent a unity ticket, one capable of generating enthusiasm from across the Democratic Party and beyond--and defeating Donald Trump in November.

Signed,

Progressive Democrats of America
RootsAction.org