With riots raging in cities across the nation, the odds that Rep. Val Demings will become Joe Biden’s running mate keep rising.
The 63-year-old Democrat is a former career law enforcement officer, serving as chief of police in Orlando, FL, for four years before entering politics.
“Florida Rep. Val Demings’ odds to be Joe Biden’s running mate continued to surge on Monday, moving up to +500 from +1200 at the beginning of last week and +2000 just two weeks ago,” according to Bookies.com political betting analyst Dan Kilbridge.
That puts Val Demings in second place, behind only Sen. Kamala Harris, who is also black. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who is white, continues to drop in the odds after a Minneapolis police officer was charged for the death of an unarmed black man on May 25.
“The gains made by Demings and, to a lesser degree, Harris are undoubtedly tied to Klobuchar’s slipping odds amid the unrest in Minneapolis and around the nation. The charges against the Minneapolis police officer further shines a spotlight on Klobuchar’s track record as Hennepin County prosecutor, which had already been a cause of concern for many progressives. Klobuchar was as high as +300 less than a week ago,” Kilbridge said.
Now, Klobuchar is at +800, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has moved into third place, at +650. But Harris still has the best odds, at +125.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Biden has already pledged to pick a female running mate. After he told a black radio host that “if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black” — and amid race riots — political pundits and pollsters are predicting that the former vice president could well be under pressure to pick a black female as his running mate in 2020.
Demings has a slew of plusses. She brings the possibility that she could help deliver Florida, always a swing state in presidential elections.
Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York said this week that Biden faces “increasing pressure” to pick a black woman.
“He has already said that he’s guaranteed to choose a woman,” York said last week on Fox News. “And he’s under increasing pressure now for it to be a woman of color.”
“We’ve heard about Kamala Harris, we’ve heard about Stacey Abrams, we’ve heard about Val Demings, and he said they are all on his list right now,” York said.
Biden tried to assuage anger over his “you ain’t black” comment, expressing regret for his remarks during a phone conversation with The U.S. Black Chambers Inc.
“The bottom line of all of this perhaps I was much too cavalier,” Biden said. “I know that the comments have come off like I was taking the African-American vote for granted but nothing could be further from the truth … I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.