Sanders says he’s leaning towards selecting a woman for VP if he’s 2020 Dem nominee

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in a new interview indicated that he may select a woman as his running mate as he seeks the presidency in 2020.

“I think we would look for somebody who is maybe not of the same gender that I am, and maybe somebody who might be a couple of years younger than me,” Sanders, who jumped into the race this week, said of a possible VP pick during an appearance on the “The Young Turks,” a left-leaning web series. 

“Somebody who can take the progressive banner as vice president and carry it all over this county to help us with our agenda, and help us to rally the American people.”

On a VP pick, @SenSanders
said:

“I think we would look for somebody who is maybe not of the same gender as I am,” and carry progressive banner. https://t.co/a2TYrm63sm

— The Young Turks (@TheYoungTurks) February 19, 2019

He also vowed to have a “very, very diverse” campaign staff, saying his 2016 campaign was “rightly” criticized for being “too white.”

{mosads}Sanders is not the first 2020 candidate to suggest he will choose a female running mate. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said this month that he would prioritize “gender diversity” on his ticket, and is “looking to women first.” 

The diverse group of 2020 Democratic candidates currently includes six women.

Sanders’s comments on Wednesday come after former staffers recently revealed that they experienced sexual harassment while working on his 2016 campaign. He said Tuesday that his 2020 campaign would “have the strongest protocols to protect women and anybody else against any form of harassment.”

His campaign has raised millions of dollars from small contributions in its first few days since its launch.