2020 Democratic contender Joe Biden took his efforts to win over right-wing voters to a startling new level on Monday night during a town hall event in Exeter, New Hampshire.
“The answer is: I would, but I can’t think of one now,” Biden responded after a potential voter asked if he’d consider choosing a Republican to be his vice president.
“No, no, no, no, no, no. Look. No, I’m serious,” the Democrat insisted over laughter from the audience. “Here’s what I mean. Let me explain that.”
“You know, there are some really decent Republicans that are out there still,” Biden said. “But here’s the problem right now, of the well-known ones: They’ve got to step up.”
The Biden campaign often touts the former vice president’s “electability” in part because of his friendships with Republican lawmakers and his more conservative policy positions in comparison to primary rivals Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
However, Biden’s efforts to appeal to the right have sometimes backfired, such as when he reaffirmed in June his support for the Hyde Amendment, a ban on Medicaid-funded abortions that his own party rejects. He walked back his stance on the issue several days later after he was raked over the coals by women’s rights groups.
The debacle became one of several points of attack from other Democratic candidates who argue that Biden is too conservative to be the party’s flag-bearer.
Watch Biden below:
Joe Biden said he'd consider having a Republican as his running mate in 2020. pic.twitter.com/Lhtu3LDmhG
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) December 31, 2019
