Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton could replace Vice President Kamala Harris as President Biden’s running mate, a Washington Post columnist argued Friday.
As polling for Biden looks troublesome in advance of the November election, some political analysts, journalists and columnists have warned that the campaign needs to be aggressive to defeat former President Trump.
“No one has mentioned her as a possible running mate for Biden as far as I know, but why not replace Harris with Clinton?” Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker wrote Friday.
“At 76, she might want no part of it, but it’s hard to retire when you feel your job isn’t done,” Parker wrote, arguing that Clinton is one of the few leaders in the Democratic Party who has enough respect and “relative centrism” to be a serious contender to replace Harris.
“If Biden needs to step down, even those who didn’t vote for Clinton would have confidence in her ability to keep the country on track,” Parker wrote.
The columnist wrote that Harris is a “significant obstacle” to Biden’s victory in November, especially as Harris continues to suffer from poor polling that has only been worsened by her “lackluster performance” in office.
“More independents and disenchanted Republicans might swing for Biden if it weren’t for the prospect of a President Harris — not because of her sex, race or any other demographic category, but because of her competency, or lack thereof,” Parker wrote.
Parker wrote that possible replacements for Harris other than Clinton would include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
“The question now is, how risky would it be for Democrats to replace her?” Parker asked. “Some worry that a change would jeopardize Black votes.”
“It was never clear, however, that Harris was a draw for Black American voters, even if some Black women celebrated her rise,” the columnist wrote.
Parker is not the only columnist to suggest a slate of candidates to replace either Biden or Harris before the election.
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat suggested in February that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro could vie for the Democratic nomination if Biden dropped out.
There has been no indication, however, that Biden or Harris will be replaced on the ticket. Biden has already clinched the Democratic nomination after defeating minimal opposition in the primaries.
The Biden-Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
