Veepstakes: Val Demings

  1. IS SHE QUALIFIED? She is a two-term member of the House and has executive experience with a large police department. I would say yes, but it’s an arguable point.
  2. IS SHE IDEOLOGICALLY COMPATIBLE? Pelosi clearly views her as a team player, so, yes.
  3. COULD SHE RUN AND WIN IN 2024? There is no way to answer that question today. She doesn’t have any experience campaigning on a national level.
  4. WOULD PICKING HER PUT A SENATE SEAT AT RISK? No.
  5. HAS SHE BEEN VETTED NATIONALLY? No.
  6. WOULD SHE BRING SOMETHING POSITIVE TO THE CAMPAIGN? She would help with African-Americans, and she might sway a few votes in Florida. Since we’ve never seen her campaign on a national level, however, we really don’t know if she would be a net positive or negative.

THE VERDICT: Given her lack of experience, she would be a risky choice for a risk averse campaign. There is no obvious reason to prefer her to Harris.