All Americans—not just Democrats—should be eternally grateful to President Biden for his success in defeating Donald Trump in 2020. We applaud his forbearance in turning over this task now, four years later, to his inspired choice for vice president, Kamala Harris. Democrats are already uniting behind Harris and will make every effort to elect her in November.
The question now is who will Kamala Harris choose to be her running mate in this campaign? Rarely has this decision been so important in healing the nation’s wounded spirit. Seldom has it been so necessary to find a running mate that can win that broad center of public opinion sought by every successful candidate.
Harris should look to the nation’s history to see an example of a presidential nominee choosing their vice president with a view toward that center of the political spectrum:
In his 1900 campaign for reelection, William McKinley had many choices to replace his VP for his first term; Garret Hobart had died of heart disease a year earlier. McKinley sought to capitalize on the immense popularity of Spanish American War hero Theodore Roosevelt, even though “TR” was already widely known to be a reformer completely out of step with the mainstream corporate laissez-faire economics of the McKinley administration.
That ticket also won a hard-fought campaign in November of 1900. TR proved to be an extraordinary choice when he succeeded McKinley after his assassination in September 1901.
Kamala Harris has a variety of excellent choices in the daunting task of selecting her vice president. Governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Broshears of Kentucky, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, or Roy Cooper of North Carolina.
My choice: Adam Kinzinger, former GOP member of Congress, now an Independent. Kinzinger is an outspoken veteran of the House Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Insurrection. This choice would be the equivalent of the 1864 Republicans’ choice to reform itself—and to rename itself—as the National Union Party.
No other choice would send such a strong message of national unity. As the VP nominee, Kinzinger would best demonstrate a resolve to halt our drift toward polarization and political violence.
But if Kamala must choose a Democrat, I’d suggest Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. As a retired Naval officer and former astronaut, he comes closest to the “war hero” image of Theodore Roosevelt. And Kelly is a strong campaigner, from an important swing state, and fully capable of stepping into the role of president should the worst happen.
Above all, we need to thank President Joe Biden for giving us the opportunity to change horses and place a younger generation in the saddle of leadership.
John Ashbaugh
San Luis Obispo
