Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts would give presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden the biggest boost among minorities and younger voters compared to eight other potential ticket mates, according to a poll released Wednesday.
Her appeal to those key demographics bolstered the far-left’s calls for Mr. Biden to pick his former 2020 rival to be on the ticket.
Ms. Warren, a liberal firebrand who pulled the plug on her once-promising presidential run in March, had the strongest name recognition among nine potential contenders for vice president and a favorable/unfavorable rating of 38%/39% among voters overall in the Politico/Morning Consult poll.
Her would-be addition to the ticket had the strongest effect in prodding black and Hispanic voters, along with voters under the age of 45, to say they would be more likely to support Mr. Biden.
The findings mirrored a recent survey from the liberal firm Data for Progress.
“The best move for Biden is to pick someone ready on Day One to be a strong governing partner as we face a potential Great Depression and someone who excites the progressive base in November, motivating young people not just to vote but to volunteer,” said Maria Langholz, a spokeswoman for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
PCCC was one of a number of liberal advocacy groups that backed Ms. Warren in the Democratic presidential primary contest over candidates such as Mr. Biden and democratic socialist Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont.
The other potential VP contenders Morning Consult asked about were Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Georgia voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Rep. Val Demings of Florida and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Mr. Biden said in a new interview that he wants to pick someone who is loyal, who is compatible with him, and who he would want to be the “last person in the room” when making a tough decision.
“There are women of color under consideration, and there are women from every part of the country under consideration because there’s a lot of really qualified women that are ready to be president,” he told CNN.
Mr. Biden, who has committed to picking a woman, is now under pressure to tap a black female running mate after he was forced to apologize for saying last week that people supporting President Trump “ain’t black.”
Charlamagne tha God, the radio host who elicited the comment, said after Mr. Biden’s gaffe that a black running mate is “necessary.”
“Charlamagne’s really entitled to his own opinion,” Mr. Biden responded.
Republican consultant Keith Naughton, who has been bullish on Ms. Harris’s prospects, was skeptical that Ms. Warren would be Mr. Biden’s pick and said the new poll might have been a product of her strong name ID more than anything.
“Warren still has a problem — too old, too white and too difficult,” he said. “Biden’s campaign has enough trouble keeping Biden on script — the last thing they want to do is have to keep Warren on script as well.”
Ms. Klobuchar was the only candidate who had a net positive effect in drawing voters ages 45 and up, a demographic President Trump has been struggling with lately.
“His safety pick is probably Klobuchar,” Mr. Naughton said.
Ms. Whitmer, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Demings, Ms. Lujan Grisham and Ms. Cortez Masto had net negative effects for Mr. Biden, but most respondents had never heard of them or had no opinion.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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