Klobuchar, other potential Biden VP picks enlisting power brokers to get job

Joe Biden’s promise to choose a woman as his running mate for the 2020 presidential election has ignited a fierce behind-the-scenes battle among some of the nation’s most high-profile female leaders for the potentially historic job.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, widely considered to be among the frontrunners, has been in regular talks with Democratic powerbroker Guy Cecil, sources say.

Cecil, a veteran of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, currently heads the powerful Priorities USA Action super-PAC. Though they can’t coordinate with Biden directly, the PAC will likely offer tens of millions of dollars in unofficial assistance to Biden’s run.

“He is a Democratic gatekeeper. If you look at the race for the White House or the vice presidency, he’s a critical game piece,” said one insider familiar with the matter. “He has access to every Rolodex, every bundler, every politician. He’s a one stop shop.”

“He’s talked to her, she’s talked to him, but she’s shoveling in support with the Democratic establishment,” the insider continued.

Klobuchar has also proven to be a prodigious fundraiser. A May 5 virtual event with Biden netted at least $1.5 million, with the campaign enticing big donors by floating Klobuchar to them as “a potential next VP.”

In a statement, Cecil did not deny there had been calls between him and Klobuchar, but insisted he was remaining neutral.

“I am excited to see who Joe Biden chooses to run and serve with him, and with so many good friends being considered, I am not advising anyone,” he told The Post.

Adding to the backstage drama is the fact that Cecil is also close to former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who sits on the board of his PAC.

Abrams, who has been irritating some members of Team Biden with her very public lobbying for the veep post, has hired outside advisers, as well as former Pete Buttigieg press secretary Nina Smith.

Other candidates vying for the job are also making moves.

Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto has a powerful ally in her corner with the man she replaced in the Senate, Harry Reid. The former brass-knuckles boss of Senate Democrats has a long relationship with Biden.

“He is advocating very, very aggressively and pulling out all the stops for her,” a former Senate staffer familiar with the veep process told The Post of the dark horse.

Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth now has a home studio to help her with cable news hits — and The Daily Show —other insiders said.

Though she was notably slow in offering him her formal endorsement, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren bluntly told Rachel Maddow that she would be happy to serve as well — if asked. President Trump says Biden owes Warren the job for for taking primary votes from Bernie Sanders.

Her chances, however, are hampered by the special election that would be triggered if she left the Senate.

Klobuchar, Duckworth, Masto and Sen. Kamala Harris, another frontrunner, all hail from states where liberal governors could be reliably expected to appoint Democrats to replace them.

“You’re not going to pluck a safe senator out of their seat who [may] get replaced with a Republican,” the insider said.

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