Vice President Karen Bass? Joe Biden considers California leader for key 2020 role
Click the California Nation player above to hear The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board’s interview with Rep. Karen Bass.
“Surreal.”
That’s how Rep. Karen Bass of Los Angeles describes the feeling of being on Joe Biden’s shortlist of potential vice presidential picks in 2020.
Most Americans don’t know Bass, but Biden’s team appears to be giving her serious consideration. Bass, a former physician’s assistant who rose to become the first woman to serve as speaker of the California State Assembly, is in competition with Sen. Kamala Harris for the role.
While most observers consider Harris the most likely choice, the buzz around Bass has grown over the past few weeks as Biden prepares to announce his decision. Bass started as an activist in Los Angeles and eventually ran for office with the encouragement of other local leaders.
“I was a young radical,” said Bass of her activism, which started in the 1970s and included trips to build houses in Cuba. “Those people that are out saying ‘defund the police’? That was me.”
Bass’ youthful radicalism matured into more effective advocacy as she grew older and confronted problems like the crack cocaine epidemic and the AIDS crisis. She knows how to navigate the corridors of power and calls Republican leader Kevin McCarthy a friend.
Legendary activist Dolores Huerta, who had endorsed Harris for president, is now supporting Bass for vice president. A recent Politico story indicated that former Sen. Chris Dodd, the man in charge of Biden’s VP vetting committee, is also pushing for Bass, calling her “a loyal No. 2.”
On Wednesday, The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board interviewed Rep. Bass about her life, her career and her thoughts on the vice presidency. She spoke about her friendships with Republican leaders, her interest in Cuba, her love of foreign policy and her plans for police reform.
“I didn’t set out to say, ‘I want to be the president of the United States, ‘I want to be a member of Congress,’” Bass said. “My entire life has been driven by fighting for social and economic justice. That has been the guiding post that has led me to do a lot of different things.”
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This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 5:00 AM.