Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, received an official endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders today, thus healing the major divide within the party. It’s extremely significant just on face value alone, but becomes all the more important when you consider the timing of this decision.

When Sanders ran for President in 2016, he waited until July to drop out and endorse Senator Hillary Clinton. His expression of support for the nominee much earlier in the cycle this time is very advantageous for everyone involved on the left. Now his army of “Bernie Bros” will have additional time to do their sociopolitical soul-searching. With this drama essentially done and dusted, it’s time to focus on the next major question. Who will be the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate?

The only thing we know for sure is that it will be a woman. The VP odds say that California Senator Kamala Harris is the favorite at this point. Harris has the credibility and strength that appeals to the moderate lane of the left having the experience of serving in numerous past high profile positions.

A former prosecutor and presidential candidate herself, she was arguably the first notable name to drop out. Harris gained a lot of momentum early on, but then struggled to convey her platform clearly to the electorate. She waited until after Senator Elizabeth Warren, whose odds are not very favorable to become the Veep, dropped out before throwing her support to Biden. Warren, a former front-runner, did not endorse Biden or Sanders, the two candidates remaining after she dropped out.

The second most favorable odds belong to another Senator who exceeded expectations in their presidential campaign, Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar. Like Harris, she is a moderate. Klobuchar, along with former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, dropped out ahead of Super Tuesday and appeared with Biden to endorse him the day before. 

The third most favorable odds belong to “that woman from Michigan” as the current POTUS infamously referrred to her, Gretchen Whitmer. The Michigan Governor, who gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union in February, is a rising star in the party, and she’s seen her stock rise extremely high in 2020. 

Whether it’s Kamala Harris, or somebody else, the decision to select a woman is an astute one. Women decided the 2018 mid-term elections, and it’s likely they will be the demographic that determines the 2020 election as well.

Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No,  I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation. 

You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.

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