‘I think a lot of the donor base, on board and coming, would prefer almost anyone but Elizabeth…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is rumored to be on presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden’s shortlist of vice-presidential running mates.
But choosing her could electoral consequences that outlast Biden’s campaign.
There’s a good possibility that Warren’s Senate seat could be filled by a Republican if Biden chooses Warren to share the ticket.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is a Republican, and he has the power to pick anyone he wants to fill her seat should it become vacant.
The state’s leftward tilt means Baker’s replacement would likely be temporary, but even temporary loss would be bad news for Democrats, who are eager to retake the Senate this November.
Establishment Democrats are already concerned about Warren’s VP chances. Wealthy donors reportedly urged Biden’s campaign not to choose Warren—no matter how appealing her progressive agenda might be to leftists.
“I think a lot of the donor base, on board and coming, would prefer almost anyone but Elizabeth,” one longtime Biden fundraiser said earlier this month.
Warren’s extreme, anti-corporate agenda is red flag to many of Biden’s donors, who worry that her leftist policies could cost Biden the election.
Instead, they’ve pushed him toward alternatives perceived to be slightly less radical, such as Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. And because Harris and Klobuchar represent states with Democratic governors, their vacant seats aren’t that big of a concern.
Biden, however, has maintained regular contact with Warren. He plans to hold a big online fundraiser with her on June 15, and she has even begun to reach out to Biden’s Senate allies in the hopes that he’ll choose her, according to The Hill.
Biden has also adopted a few of Warren’s leftist policies, and his campaign hired two of her fundraising advisers in late April.