Amy Klobuchar, 60, is no longer vying for the Vice President ticket under Democratic nominee Joe Biden, 77. The Minnesota senator shocked America when she withdrew herself from the list of potential candidates on Thursday, June 18, and urged Joe to choose a “woman of color” as his running mate. “There are so many incredible, qualified women…this is a historic moment. America must seize on the moment and I truly believe — as I actually told the VP last night when I called him — that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket,” she said to MSNBC‘s Lawrence O’Donnell.
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
“If you wanna heal this nation right now, my party yes, but our nation — this is sure a hell of a way to do it,” she added, referencing the Black Lives Matter movement, which has sparked protests across the country and around the world following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd on May 25. Amy, who is a Minnesota native and previously served as Hennepin County’s prosecutor — where George was killed — had previously decided not to remove herself from the potential candidate list after the death. “That’s just what I think after being through this in my state,” Amy added, emotional.
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. You know how to get things done. With your help, we’re going to beat Donald Trump. https://t.co/4kquPZtSV9
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 19, 2020
Shortly after Floyd’s death, it was brought to light that Amy had previously failed to charge now-fired officer Derek Chauvin for another fatal shooting incident. Throughout her seven years as the Hennepin County prosecutor, Amy faced criticism for not doing enough to examine and stop racism amongst the Minneapolis Police Department. Despite her past history, she doesn’t think that it would have affected her job as Vice President, should she have been elected. “I think I could’ve functioned fine and there’s a lot of untruths out there about my record and now is not the time to debate those,” she also said to MSNBC.
Joe has since reacted to the news, tweeting “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. You know how to get things done. With your help, we’re going to beat Donald Trump.” Twitter applauded Amy’s decision and comments, and she quickly began trending on the social media platform. “I respect that Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the running for Vice President and said Joe Biden should choose a woman of color instead. I wholeheartedly agree with her decision,” user @clairermassey said.
I respect that Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the running for Vice President and said Joe Biden should choose a woman of color instead. I wholeheartedly agree with her decision.
— 𝓒𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓮 “𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓻” Biden & Harris Won (@clairermassey) June 19, 2020
User @imJohnGibson added, “Thank you Amy Klobuchar . Yes it is the moment for a woman of color to lead and we have many qualified to take up the rein for a new dawn in 2021. The era of change begins now ! Let’s start the campaign for her. Please announce @JoeBiden,” while @ShanRussell72 shared, “My respect for @amyklobuchar just increased dramatically. She just withdrew from consideration for VP, saying a woman of color should be chosen. She’s going to work to heal her state, legislation and uniting the nation. Thank you ma’am for your service and integrity.”
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