Updated 5:30 a.m. ET Friday
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., says she is withdrawing her name from consideration to be Joe Biden's running mate, calling on the former vice president to pick a woman of color.
"Since I endorsed the vice president on that joyful night in Dallas, I've never commented on this process at all," she said on MSNBC Thursday night. "But let me tell you this after what I've seen in my state, what I've seen across the country. This is a historic moment and America must seize on this moment."
BREAKING: Sen. Klobuchar announces she is withdrawing from consideration to be Joe Biden's vice presidential choice: "I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket." pic.twitter.com/xk4zZIP7Yd
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 19, 2020
After the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis last month, calls for police reform and racial justice have reverberated nationwide.
Klobuchar says she called Biden and told him, "I truly believe ... this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket."
"There are so many incredibly qualified women. But if you want to heal this nation right now. My party, yes, but our nation, this is sure a hell of way to do it. And that's just what I think after being through this in my state."
Biden praised Klobuchar on Twitter after she made her announcement, saying she had "grit and determination."
Amy — from the moment you announced you were running for president in a snowstorm, it wasn't hard to see you had the grit and determination to do anything you set your mind to. You know how to get things done. With your help, we’re going to beat Donald Trump. https://t.co/4kquPZtSV9
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 19, 2020
Klobuchar ran her own campaign for the Democratic nomination, picking up some late momentum. She had a moderate, Midwestern appeal but failed to excite the Democratic base or voters of color.
Several women of color have been floated as possible VP picks, including California Sen. Kamala Harris, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, Florida Rep. Val Demings, former national security adviser Susan Rice and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
As NPR has reported, Biden is also facing increased pressure from black female leaders and activists in the Democratic Party to select a black woman as his running mate.
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