Mary Peltola for Vice President

Image from: AP

By: J Tyler Syck @tylersyck

As the Biden administration gears up for a repeat battle with Donald Trump, it is high time they confront a hard truth—Kamala Harris is a drag on the Democratic ticket and must be dropped. Harris is one of the least popular vice presidents since the invention of modern polling, and in a recent New York Times feature, she frankly admitted she has no real vision for America. As a result of these glaring faults, Harris brings no new voters into the Democratic fold. Under normal circumstances, consolidating the party base could be enough for a vice president. However, in an election as close as this one, Biden needs to win over a small army of moderate swing voters—something Kamala Harris is simply unable to do.

What Biden needs is a fiercely independent moderate who displays the diversity that lies at the heart of the modern Democratic party. In short, he needs Mary Peltola – the centrist blue dog congresswoman from Alaska. Peltola has already proven that she can win in traditionally red states that back Trump, having herself defeated former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to earn her place in the United States House of Representatives. While it is unrealistic to imagine that Biden can make significant inroads into the heart of Trump country, the ability to appeal to rural Republicans is undoubtedly an asset in a Democratic vice presidential nominee. 

Perhaps more importantly, Peltola offers Biden an opportunity to grow and reshape the Democratic Party. For the last decade, the Democrats have become increasingly reliant on their progressive wing. If the progressives made up a large portion of the country, this would be fine, but an extensive study conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that progressives make up the smallest major political faction in the United States, accounting for just six percent of the electorate. 

Meanwhile, more centrist categories account for a whopping 25% of the American population. It is this collection of individuals in the political middle whom Biden should be courting and, if made vice-president, Mary Peltola could become their patron saint. Her mixture of folksy rural rhetoric, Native American ancestry, and pragmatic policy credentials make her a centrist dream. Now, it is up to Biden to crown her the centrist queen and guarantee his own reelection.  

Jeffery Tyler Syck is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and History at the University of Pikeville in his native Kentucky.