Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is bowing out as a potential running mate pick for 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“After what I’ve seen in my state and what I’ve seen across the country, this is a historic moment and America must seize on this moment,” Klobuchar said on MSNBC Thursday evening. “I truly believe, as I actually told the vice president last night when I called him, that I think that this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket.”
She continued to stay “if you want to heal this nation,” then “this is sure a hell of a way to do it.”
The Minnesota lawmaker’s remarks come as many are observing Juneteenth, which celebrates the emancipation of African American slaves. It also comes amid weeks of protests to demand an end to police brutality and racism.
Watch Klobuchar’s interview below:
BREAKING: Sen. Klobuchar announces she is withdrawing from consideration to be Joe Biden's vice presidential choice: "I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket." pic.twitter.com/xk4zZIP7Yd
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 19, 2020
Biden officially took ahold of the Democratic presidential nomination in early July.
The former vice president has vowed to choose a woman as his running mate.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) has also pushed for Biden to choose a woman of color. He previously said, “I’m among those who feel that it would be great for him to select a woman of color. But that is not a must.”
Additionally, others have weighed in on the topic, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who said, “To have our first female vice president, and to have that be a woman of color is a significant milestone.”
Several women have expressed openness to becoming Biden’s running mate, including former Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice, who said she “certainly would say yes.” Additionally, other potential picks include former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), among others.
Biden previously shared that he hopes to select his vice presidential pick on August 1.
“I want to make sure that … whoever I have has some qualities that I don’t possess as well as is willing to, in fact, tell me the truth but also do it in a way that is between the two of us, between her and me, so that they can, in fact, be completely candid with me because I want to have people around me that have strengths and capacities I don’t,” Biden said during a virtual fundraiser on May 27.