U.S. Representative Val Demings said in a Live Interview with The Source Magazine that she would accept former Vice President Joe Biden’s offer to be a running mate if he offered.
Demings, a former police chief, currently represents the 10th congressional district in Florida and spoke to attorney and owner of The Source, L. Londell McMillan revealing her decision when asked if she would be willing to serve as vice-presidential running mate.
“I had the opportunity to work my way up through the ranks at the Orlando police department. Served as a social worker with broken families and broken children,” Demings said. “Now I am a member of Congress, I serve on some pretty powerful committees. I have on the ground, real-life crisis management. Tell it like it is, hold no punches, unapologetic for it. I have real-life experience I would bring to the ticket.
“I would consider it an honor to serve beside President Joe Biden and help get his country back on the right track and make sure we do not leave out communities that look like me and leave out certain zip codes,” she added.
Rep. Demings has been one of the names floating as a potential running mate for Biden in recent weeks. During her response, she would also state how she is proud of Black women being included in the rumored shortlist of candidates to be able to fulfill the second most powerful position in the nation.
“I just believe that history calls for an African-American woman to be selected tor un on the ticket,” she said. “You can’t just continue to say that Black women are the backbone of the Democratic party, well ok, that’s fine, but the backbone should have its privileges.”
During his March debate with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Biden stated that he would select a woman as his running mate but she will also reflect the rest of the nation.
“If I’m elected president, my cabinet, my administration will look like the country and I commit that I will, in fact, appoint a, pick a woman to be vice president. There are a number of women qualified to be president tomorrow. I would pick a woman to be my vice president,” Biden said.
On Tuesday night (April 21), Biden appeared The Late Late Show with James Corden and doubled down on his statement to select a woman as his running mate. Biden would not commit to who he is considering, but he did state that he will have his list of contenders down to two or three by July.
“The first, the most important quality is someone who — if I walked away immediately from the office for whatever reason — that they can be president,” Biden said.
In addition to Demings, murmurs of Biden’s selection has pointed to former 2020 presidential candidates in Sen. Kamala D. Harris (Calif.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.). In addition, Georgia Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams has also been mentioned. In a profile for ELLE, Abrams revealed that she would accept the offer if extended.
“I would be an excellent running mate. I have the capacity to attract voters by motivating typically ignored communities. I have a strong history of executive and management experience in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors,” she explained.“I’ve spent 25 years in an independent study of foreign policy. I am ready to help advance an agenda of restoring America’s place in the world. If I am selected, I am prepared and excited to serve.”
Certainly, Biden will have some qualified choices to consider and Demings comes with Floridian ties. America has seen the power and history of Florida in these elections, a point not missed by Demings.
During her interview with McMillan, Demings would also detail her background, attacking gun violence, connecting with our youth, the response of her state to the COVID-19, and more. You can hear all of those details here.
