First Latina U.S. senator withdraws name from Biden's running mate list

[May 29, 2020]    By Tim Reid
 
 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, the first Latina elected to the U.S. Senate, said on Thursday she is not interested in being Joe Biden's running mate in November's presidential election.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) meets with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in his office after he announced that she will serve as Chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) for the 2020 campaign cycle on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

"I support Joe Biden 100% and will work tirelessly to help get him elected this November. It is an honor to be considered as a potential running mate, but I have decided to withdraw my name from consideration," Cortez Masto said in a statement.

Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has said he will chose a woman as his running mate, as he prepares to take on Republican President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election. Cortez Masto was on a list of Biden's prospective vice presidential picks.

Referring to the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed over 100,000 lives in the U.S. and devastated the economy, Cortez Masto added: "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 on back on their feet."

(Reporting by Tim Reid; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

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