Associated Press
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a primary election night rally Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
- As former Vice President Joe Biden picks up steam in the 2020 Democratic contest, his inner circle has begun making a list of people to appoint to Cabinet roles and other top positions, Axios reported.
- Among the names floated: former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg at the World Bank, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as Treasury Secretary, and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg as UN ambassador or the US trade representative.
- Biden is also reportedly considering JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Bank of America vice chairman Anne Finucane for senior positions at Treasury.
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As former Vice President Joe Biden speeds toward securing the Democratic presidential nomination, internal campaign sources gave Axios a list of names Biden is weighing for Cabinet roles and other top positions within his potential administration.
According to Axios, the Biden campaign is leaning toward a "Return to Normal" plan that undoes President Donald Trump's policies and reinstates much of the political apparatus that existed during the Obama years.
Here are some of the people Biden is considering for senior positions, per Axios:
- Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg is a top contender to head up the World Bank. Bloomberg endorsed Biden immediately after dropping out of the 2020 race.
- Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as Treasury secretary. Warren dropped out of the race last week after disappointing losses on Super Tuesday but hasn't yet made an endorsement. Axios reported that Warren's name has been floated as part of an effort to unite the fractured Democratic Party around Biden. Some of Biden's advisers have also suggested Warren as a vice presidential candidate for that reason.
- Former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg as the US ambassador to the United Nations of the US trade representative. Buttigieg also endorsed Biden shortly after dropping out.
- Some Biden advisers see California Sen. Kamala Harris as a contender for attorney general if she's not on the ticket.
- JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Bank of America vice chairman Anne Finucane have both been floated for positions at the Treasury Department.
- The Biden campaign is also considering a slew of veterans from the Obama administration for key positions. Among those being considered:
- Former Secretary of State John Kerry may reprise his role or take on a Cabinet position focused on combatting climate change.
- Former national security adviser Susan Rice may be nominated for a State Department role.
- Former deputy attorney general Sally Yates is a contender for attorney general.
Biden's campaign got a critical boost last week when the former vice president swept up victories in ten out of the 14 US states that voted on Super Tuesday.
The momentum will likely carry Biden into a series of critical primaries that will take place on Tuesday, March 10, and the following Tuesday, March 17. The former vice president had a shaky start to his campaign with disappointing finishes in the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, where he was demolished by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
But a rousing victory in South Carolina rebooted Biden's campaign, and he now leads the Democratic field in pledged delegates heading into the party's convention this summer.
Following Biden's rout, a wave of top-tier candidates dropped out, including Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Warren, and Bloomberg.
Biden also benefited from winning rapid endorsements from Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Bloomberg, which largely consolidated the moderate vote around his candidacy. Warren has declined to endorse anyone so far, but both Biden and Sanders are duking it out for her backing.
The former vice president's momentum from Super Tuesday could now translate to a win in Michigan. According to FiveThirtyEight's average of polls, Sanders had a double-digit lead over Biden in Michigan on Super Tuesday. By Friday, however, Biden was ahead of Sanders - 37.8% to 30% - in the state.
Meanwhile, a Morning Consult poll released on Friday showed Biden crushing Sanders by 16 percentage points nationally.
More than half of the Democratic primary voters in the poll - 54% - said they would vote for Biden, while 38% said they would vote for Sanders.
Sanders was the top choice for 57% of voters under the age of 45, but Biden was the favored candidate for 70% of voters over 45.
The poll was conducted on March 5 after Warren announced she was dropping out of the 2020 race. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.