Cortez Masto Withdraws From Consideration as Biden Running Mate

(Bloomberg) -- Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto said Thursday she no longer wished to be under consideration as Joe Biden’s running mate.

Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the Senate, was viewed as a top contender for the Democratic presidential ticket, but she said in a statement she wanted to focus on helping Nevada recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

“I support Joe Biden 100% and will work tirelessly to help get him elected this November,” she said in a statement. “It is an honor to be considered as a potential running mate but I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration. Nevada’s economy is one of the hardest hit by the current crisis and I will continue to focus on getting Nevadans the support they need to get back on their feet.”

“It’s an honor just to be mentioned as a potential vice presidential running mate,” Cortez Masto said later Thursday at an event on diverse leadership organized by the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service. “My focus is really on my state right now.”

In a statement, Biden said: “I’ve admired Senator Cortez-Masto as long as I have known her because she’s a leader with integrity. Nevadans are fortunate to have her fighting for them in Washington and I look forward to seeing her continue to lead in the Senate.”

She was elected to the Senate in 2016 after serving as Nevada’s attorney general. She also serves as the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, a key position as the Democrats look to take control of the chamber.

Cortez Masto, 56, has not been actively campaigning for the vice-presidential slot, but she was seen as someone who could help increase Latino turnout. She also has a close relationship with former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, whose seat she filled after he retired. In addition, Cortez Masto knew Biden’s late son, Beau, who served as Delaware’s attorney general.

Cortez Masto is “a truly gifted leader who always puts Nevada first, and I will continue supporting her however I can,” Reid said in a statement. “Her leadership will be critical as Nevada and the country recovers from this public health and economic crisis.”

Biden has said he would choose a woman to be his vice president.

Others believed to be in contention are Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, California Senator Kamala Harris and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Florida Representative Val Demings has said she was on Biden’s “short list.”

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said she has been asked for references, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer told NBC’s “Today Show” that she’d had opening conversations with the campaign about joining the ticket.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.