Joe Biden Eyeing Democrats, Republicans In Key Administration Posts To Show Bipartisanship

Joe Biden is eyeing Republican and Democratic lawmakers for key administration posts. The newly elected president reportedly wants 20 lawmakers serving in the House of Representatives and 10 in the Senate who received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Jefferson-Hamilton 2020 Award for Bipartisanship.

Five of the recipients of the said award are New Yorkers, some Democrats and some Republicans. The two Democrats include upstate Representative Anthony Brindisi and Hudson Valley Representative Antonio Delgado, while the Three Republicans include retiring Long Island Representative Peter King and upstate veteran lawmakers Tom Reed and John Katko.

In his victory speech, Joe Biden promised to practice bipartisanship and be the president of all Americans. A source close to his transition to presidency said appointing Democratic and Republican lawmakers in key administration posts is Biden’s way of keeping his promise.

“This is what President-elect Biden talked about in his victory speech,” the source said. “This is bipartisanship that he is going to be trying. A way of showing bipartisanship is who you hire,” he added.

Senators on the bipartisan list include Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul of Kentucky, we well as Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Doug Jones of Alabama, and Gary Peters of Michigan.

The source also revealed that the Biden transition team is looking more closely at the House rather than the Senate, the fate of which still depends on the two special elections to be held in Georgia next month. Joe Biden reportedly realized it would be hard to poach a Republican senator, who would be pressured by the Republican party not to cost the party the majority. He said it might also affect Biden’s relationship with Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, who has been an acquaintance for decades.

“Not impossible,” said the source. “But no Republican wants to be the reason the majority in the Senate goes in the other direction.”

The source claimed that Biden would only choose a Democratic senator from a state where the governor is also a Democrat to give the Democrat a leg up to keep the seat in a future election. There are speculations that Joe Biden will appoint Democratic Delaware Senator Chris Coons to a White House or cabinet post, but it has yet to be confirmed.