Democratic 2020 presidential candidate and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper questioned why female 2020 candidates weren’t being asked if they would consider male running mates.
Asked by Dana Bash if he would vow to put a woman on his presidential ticket, John Hickenlooper replied, “Of course,” and then said, “How come we’re not asking, more often, the women, ‘Would you be willing to put a man on the ticket?’” #CNNTownHall pic.twitter.com/AC7hWtyZ7D
— CNN (@CNN) March 21, 2019
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Hickenlooper at a presidential town hall Wednesday, “Governor, some of your male competitors have vowed to put a woman on the ticket. Yes or no, would you do the same?” (RELATED: Former Colorado Governor Joins Growing List Of 2020 Dem Hopefuls)
“Of course,” Hickenlooper replied. He then proceeded to ask Bash a question of his own: “How come we’re not asking more often the women: ‘Would you be willing to put a man on the ticket?'”
His question was met with silence from the audience.
“When we get to that point, I’ll ask you that question,” Bash responded.
A spokesperson for Hickenlooper, Lauren Hitt, addressed criticism towards the Hickenlooper’s question on Twitter, attempting to clarify Hickenlooper’s intended arguement, “Making the point that the media too often discounts the chances of women winning the nomination themselves.” (RELATED: Is There A Place For Moderate John Hickenlooper In A Democratic Party That Embraces The Green New Deal?)
Making the point that the media too often discounts the chances of women winning the nomination themselves https://t.co/c4gFt4LroW
— Lauren Hitt (@LaurenHitt) March 21, 2019
Several other male Democratic 2020 presidential candidates have encountered the same question regarding their vice president selection.
When asked if he would consider a female running mate, former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said, “That would be my preference.”
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders expressed that he will be looking for a young female candidate upon announcement of his 2020 presidential bid.
“I think we would look for somebody who is maybe not of the same gender that I am, and maybe someone who might be a couple of years younger than me, and somebody who can take the progressive banner as vice president and carry it all over this county,” Sanders said to the Young Turks. “I’m not going to box myself in, but should I become [the presidential nominee], you know I’ll be looking to women first.” Sanders continued.
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker stated outright that “there will be a woman on the ticket,” to reporters last week.