Klobuchar withdraws from running for VP, insists Biden choose woman of color
In this April 27, 2019, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., right, speaks at a Service Employees International Union forum on labor issues in Las Vegas.[AP/ John Locher]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Thursday night she is withdrawing as a potential pick for vice president, insisting that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden pick a woman of color as his running mate.
"This is a historic moment, and America must seize on this moment, and I truly believe, as I actually told the vice president last night when I called him, that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket," Klobuchar told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on "The Last Word."
"And there are so many incredibly qualified women, but if you want to heal this nation right now — my party, yes, but our nation — then this is sure a hell of a way to do it. And that’s what I think after being through this in my state," she added.
Klobuchar made the announcement in light of weeks of public outcries for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis police officer on May 25.
Biden responded on Twitter by praising Klobuchar, but he did not say anything about her call for him to select a nonwhite running mate.
"Amy — from the moment you announced you were running for president in a snowstorm, it wasn’t hard to see you had the grit and determination to do anything you set your mind to," he said. "You know how to get things done. With your help, we’re going to beat Donald Trump."