Clyburn urges Biden to pick black woman as running mate: ‘African American women need to be rewarded’ for loyalty

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) urged former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday to pick a black woman as his running mate to “reward” them for loyalty to the Democratic Party if he is its presidential nominee.

Clyburn, who endorsed Biden ahead of his South Carolina primary win late last month, told NPR, “I really believe that we’ve reached a point in this country where African American women need to be rewarded for the loyalty that they’ve given to this party.”  

He named a number of black women who he thinks would be good choices to share a ticket with Biden, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams.

Clyburn also mentioned Democratic Reps. Marcia Fudge (Ohio), Val Demings (Fla.) and Karen Bass (Calif.) as potential choices, as well as Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Biden has said he could choose a female running mate, citing Abrams as someone who would be qualified.

The 2020 Democratic front-runner has also vowed to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court if he’s elected.

Exit polls from Edison Research found 61 percent of Democratic voters in South Carolina said Clyburn’s endorsement of Biden was a significant factor in their voting choice, The Hill previously reported.