Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is receiving some advice from a former leader in the state she serves.
As many are waiting to know who presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden chooses as his running mate, several names of potential contenders have circulated — including Harris.
Instead of saying yes to the job if Biden asks her to be his vice presidential pick, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown (D) is suggesting she “politely decline.”
“Harris is a tested and proven campaigner who will work her backside off to get Biden elected. That said, the vice presidency is not the job she should go for — asking to be considered as attorney general in a Biden administration would be more like it,” Brown wrote in a San Francisco Chronicle op-ed published Saturday.
Brown, who was the mayor from 1996 to 2004, added, “Being picked for the vice presidency is obviously a huge honor, and if Biden wins, Harris would make history by being the first woman to hold the job.”
He added that “the next few years promise to be a very bumpy ride, adding, “Barack Obama and the Democrats saved the nation from economic collapse when he took office, and their reward was a blowout loss in the 2010 midterm elections.”
However, he continued in urging that the California lawmaker should pursue the attorney general spot if Biden is elected.
“Given the department’s current disarray under William Barr, just showing up and being halfway sane will make the new AG a hero. Best of all, being attorney general would give Harris enough distance from the White House to still be a viable candidate for the top slot in 2024 or 2028, no matter what the state of the nation.”
Biden is expected to announce his running mate this week, and he has vowed to choose a woman for the position. There are several names of women that have circulated, as the 2020 Democratic National Convention nears on August 17-20.