With his political star rising amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has hit his state harder than any other in the U.S., New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has been on many pundits’ minds as a possible running mate for former Vice President Joe Biden as he seeks to take the White House from President Donald Trump this November. And according to the Washington Examiner, the pressure is on.
The Examiner reported Saturday that “top fundraisers” for Biden’s campaign “said they are feeling pressure from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s team to include him on the 2020 ticket following his rise in the national profile during the coronavirus pandemic.”
An unnamed Democrat operative from New York reportedly suggested that if not putting him on the ballot, Cuomo’s team wants Biden to, “at the very least,” help him capitalize on his moment of fame.
“Biden bundlers have told me that they are feeling pressure from Cuomo’s orbit to, at the very least, have the vice president bring him up in complimentary ways regarding his handling of the crisis,” the source told the Examiner.
“It’s all very calculated”
The Examiner‘s anonymous source added that Cuomo’s team seems to be trying to “generate a positive whisper campaign” about the governor that would result in him being Biden’s pick for VP — even as a spokesperson for the governor says Cuomo “definitively said he has no interest in being considered for the position,” the Examiner reported.
“The people that work for Andrew Cuomo are not wasting one second of the coronavirus,” another alleged insider told the Examiner. “[They’re] talking Cuomo up to the bundlers in the hopes that they bring it back to Biden’s people… It’s all very calculated.”
An anonymous former senior staffer for Gov. Cuomo also seemed to confirm the suspicions, saying the Democrat is “definitely” vying for VP.
“If given the opportunity, there is no question in my mind he would want to go for that,” the staffer told the Examiner. “This is the Cuomo playbook. Keep out there, publicly deny, work behind the scenes.”
Biden on the ballot?
But besides the Democrat governor’s denials, there’s another problem with this rumor: Biden has repeatedly vowed to choose a woman — likely a woman of color — to be his running mate this fall. Among the top contenders are Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), according to polling from YouGov.
Still, according to the poll, a sizeable portion of Democratic primary voters want to see Biden’s biggest opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, on the ticket. And with Sanders’ chances of winning the White House on his own accord plummeting every time a new primary battle ensues, it’s looking like that might be the only way the 78-year-old Vermont lawmaker makes it into the West Wing.
Of course, anything can change between now and when the Democrats hold their convention this summer. Perhaps Cuomo will make his way onto the ballot this November one way or another.
Only time will tell.
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