Joe Biden is already forming a government – here’s what his cabinet could look like
- An array of officials, from progressives like Elizabeth Warren to establishment types like Susan Rice, are seen as likely for key posts
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by David Siders on politico.com on August 21, 2020.
Sherrod Brown, the progressive senator from Ohio, says he is talking with the Biden campaign about “where he needs to look and who he needs to look at” as he begins to form a potential administration.
Other people in positions of power, both inside and outside government, are engaged in similar conversations.
It’s part of an early, behind-the-scenes effort by the Biden campaign to shape the contours of a government he has pledged would be “the most progressive administration since FDR.”
Biden’s White House and his cabinet would likely lean on his connections from the Obama administration, including institutionalists who are palatable to centrist Democrats. But in the same way Biden shifted left on policy in recent months in response to the pandemic, he is also taking advice from the progressive wing of the party.
03:59
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take stage on US presidential campaign as Trump lashes out
Interviews with more than a dozen Democrats familiar with his transition process describe an effort by his campaign to assemble a centre-left amalgamation of personnel designed to prioritise speed over ideology in responding to the coronavirus and the resulting economic ruin. Think Susan Rice, but also Elizabeth Warren. Pete Buttigieg, but also Karen Bass.