Months after effectively clinching his party’s presidential nomination, Joe Biden is expected to announce his choice for a running mate this week.
Biden has said he would announce his decision before the Democratic National Convention, which begins in one week. Citing coronavirus concerns, Biden will not attend the convention in Milwaukee and will instead deliver his acceptance speech from his home state of Delaware.
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Biden’s choice offers Democrats an opportunity to unify a party still reeling from President Donald Trump’s 2016 win and solidify its future. He’s already committed to selecting a woman and has vetted several Black women, including Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
And since the 77-year-old Biden has not committed to seeking a second term, his running mate could be strongly positioned to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 2024 and shape national politics for the next decade.
Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who served as Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential nominee in 2016, said Biden’s decision “may be the most closely held and personally driven vice presidential pick ever.”
“Nobody knows this job better than Joe Biden and nobody did the job better than Biden, so he’s gonna really control this one on his own,” Kaine said in an interview.
Biden could become the first presidential nominee of a major party to select a woman of color. While he promised months ago to pick a woman, nationwide racial and social justice protests have added pressure to pick a Black woman.
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But it’s not certain he will do so. Last weekend, he met privately with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is white. Biden has said publicly she remains on his short list. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who also is white, has also been a leading contender.
Biden’s campaign has refused to comment on his search, but his team has been in recent contact with a small group of finalists that includes at least four women of color: California Sen. Kamala Harris, former national security adviser Susan Rice, California Rep. Karen Bass and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
Some were instructed late last week not to leave Washington, an indication that more in-person interviews, or an actual announcement, was imminent.
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Within the party, there is some tension about how soon before the Democratic National Convention that Biden should unveil his decision. While finalists and their allies believe the process has already gone on too long, experienced Democratic operatives want Biden to wait as long as possible before the convention’s Aug. 17 start date to limit the vice presidential nominee’s exposure to the attacks expected no matter who he picks.
Most of the women don't have strong ties to a specific battleground state that might offer Democrats a geographic advantage this fall, which would represent a break from precedent to some extent. But Biden allies hope the historic nature of his pick might help energize two key Democratic constituencies: women and people of color.
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Biden risks a real backlash from his base if he doesn’t pick a woman of color, according to some activists.
“It would be a reckless choice to pick a white running mate with a party that’s as dependent on Black and brown voters as it is,” said Aimee Allison of She the People, a political advocacy network for women of color. “A Black woman as VP is a healing link that our country needs right now to navigate this historic moment.”
The Trump campaign is eagerly awaiting Biden’s announcement and the attention it will almost certainly divert from the Republican president’s struggle to control the coronavirus pandemic, revive the economy and unify the nation. Given Biden’s advanced age, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh predicted that his pick would be far more significant than those of past nominees.
“Who he picks as VP could be seen as a sort of a living will for him politically,” Murtaugh said of Biden, who is 3 years older than Trump.
He declined to offer any specific criticism of the finalists when asked. “It doesn’t matter to us who he picks,” Murtaugh said, “because whoever it is will provide opportunities for us.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
