Biden says ex-House impeachment manager Val Demings among potential VP picks

ORLANDO, Fla. — Former Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) was on his list of potential running mates. 

“She is one of a group of close to a dozen really qualified and talented women who are, are on the list,” Biden told WFTV in Orlando. “We are just beginning the process.” 

The interview was a part of Biden’s virtual campaign blitz through the Sunshine State on Thursday, in which he also took part in a virtual roundtable with African American leaders in Jacksonville and held a virtual rally in Tampa.  

Demings told MSNBC on Wednesday that she would be honored to serve as Biden’s vice presidential pick. 

“If asked, I would be honored to serve alongside Joe Biden and do everything in my power to get this country back on track, not just here in the nation, but around the world,” she said. 

The central Florida congresswoman was elected to the House in 2016. She narrowly lost her first congressional election to Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) in the state’s 10th district. Prior to running for Congress, Demings served as Orange County’s Police Chief.

She was one of seven impeachment managers during President Trump’s impeachment trail in the Senate.

Demings touted her experience on MSNBC while making the case for Biden. 

“I have dedicated my life to public service and having served as a social worker, a career law enforcement officer, police chief, and now a member of Congress, I chose tough jobs,” Demings said. “As I look at the condition of our country, and the absolute lack of leadership, at the very least we ought to have a leader we can trust.”

“We don’t have that right now,” she added. 

Biden vowed in March to choose a woman as his running mate. Demings, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams are among the women the former vice president is thought to be considering for the post.