Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Aides from U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign rejected predictions published in the New York Post on Monday that Obama was looking to replace Vice President Joe Biden with New York governor Andrew Cuomo as his running mate. The aides repeated that Biden would be on the ticket as the vice presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, just as he was during the 2008 election.
According to the Post, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown made the claim earlier in the year. He characterized Cuomo as “a big name, a big-state governor, and a Democrat who is taking on the issue of public-employee salaries and pensions. Plus, he looks good.” The most recent prediction came from former New York GOP chairman William Powers, who reportedly told the Post “I don’t think there’s any doubt Obama is going to pick him (Cuomo) as his running mate. The president is in trouble and Biden doesn’t bring anything to his ticket.”
Biden, 68, previously confirmed to The New York Times in October that he would be on the 2012 ticket after rumors spread by journalist Bob Woodward suggested that Obama wanted to swap Biden with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Biden stated that Obama had already asked him to run.
Cuomo, 53, began his governorship earlier this year and signed a bill last month legalizing same-sex marriage. He referred to the rumors as “political chatter and silliness”. He is speculated to make a run for president in 2016.