Apple exec Cynthia Hogan joins Biden’s VP vetting team

Joe Biden’s campaign this morning announced that it has chosen a team to vet potential running mates for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The four-person committee has three high-profile Democratic politicians: Senator Chris Dodd, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt and Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, who has been in the spotlight recently as his city has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also on the list is Cynthia Hogan, who has been Apple’s vice president for Public Policy and Government Affairs since May 2016. “Cynthia’s intellect and judgment have consistently distinguished her as a uniquely talented professional and we’re lucky to have her join the team at Apple,” Apple’s Lisa Jackson said when she joined.

The D.C.-based executive’s experience with politics — and Biden specifically — dates back well before that. Prior to reentering the corporate world, Hogan served as Biden’s chief counsel — first during his time in the Senate and then as vice president. Hogan also spent two years as the vice president of Public Policy for the NFL.

“Selecting a vice presidential candidate is one of the most important decisions in a presidential campaign and no one knows this more than Joe Biden,” campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote in a statement issued today. “These four co-chairs reflect the strength and diversity of our party, and will provide tremendous insight and expertise to what will be a rigorous selection and vetting process.”

Choosing a running mate is never an easy task, though the 2020 campaign is particularly fraught. Biden’s team will help the candidate choose between a more progressive pick to cater to the left-leaning wing of a frayed Democratic Party or a more conservative choice to cater to GOP voters dismayed by Trump’s polarizing presidency.

Biden has previously said he plans to choose a woman as a running mate — a decision he is expected to reveal as early as July. Plenty of names have been floated, included former presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren, as well as other prominent Democratic politicians, including Stacey Abrams.