Another “what if,” but what if the head of General Motors became vice president of the United States? It might have happened under Hillary Clinton.
In another batch of emails released by WikiLeaks from Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta’s account, a list of possible vice presidential picks “worth looking at” was revealed, including a number of prominent elected officials and business leaders – including current GM CEO Mary Barra.
The list is extensive and rough, with some names having been long mooted (her pick, Tim Kaine) and others thought to have been long shots (Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders). Previous political news reports have indicated the Democratic Presidential nominee long had her heart set on Kaine, a senator from Virginia and former governor of that state. But Clinton’s campaign appeared to be casting the net wide before she became the presumptive nominee.
Barra, who became the first woman to be named GM CEO in 2014 and became chair in 2016, has pretty much steered clear of making comments about the presidential race this year – something her counterpart at Ford has been unable to do. But since taking her post nearly three years ago, she has been admired as one of the leading women in business.
The move may have been unprecedented to have two women on a major party’s ticket in the U.S., but it’s not the first time a Detroit auto executive has been pulled in to serve under the president. Robert McNamara was the president of Ford Motor Company before he became Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.
Other business leaders on the list included Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda. Current Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx was also among a string of names.
GM hasn’t issued any statement regarding Barra’s name in the hacked email.