Democrats wrap up search for Joe Biden’s running mate

Joe Biden’s allies have been told to expect an announcement mid-week revealing his choice of running mate.

It remains unclear if Joe Biden will appear with his running mate for a formal announcement or if there will be a virtual event. Picture: AFP

Joe Biden’s allies have been told to expect an announcement mid-week revealing his choice of running mate, according to a person familiar with the process, and multiple people say his search committee has finished its work.

Mr Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has been considering a group that includes California senator Kamala Harris­, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, ­representative Karen Bass of Californ­ia, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Massachus­etts senator Elizabeth Warren and Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth.

Mr Biden’s decision has been closely watched and could play a major role in the Democratic Party’s leadership for years to come.

The woman Mr Biden chooses would be well-positioned to succeed the 77-year-old former vice-president as the head of the party.

If Mr Biden wins the November election, his running mate would become the nation’s first woman to serve as vice-president.

People familiar with the process said the four-member search committee had wrapped up its vetting of the candidates.

The committee included former­ Connecticut senator Chris Dodd, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, representative Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Cynthia Hogan, a former Apple vice-president and Biden counsel.

Sean ‘Diddy' Combs has led more than 100 prominent African-American men in penning an open letter urging Joe Biden to choose a woman of colour as his running mate. Picture: AFP

Mr Biden spent the weekend at his holiday home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, but returned to his Wilmington residence to appea­r at a fundraiser on Monday afternoon (Tuesday AEST).

He didn’t address his search during the virtual event.

In recent days, the women under consideration have faced intense scrutiny in a process that up until the final weeks was unusuall­y public. The campaign has consulted political groups that help women get elected to office­ to prepare for what they believe­ will be sexist attacks against a female vice-presidential nominee, according to a source.

Mr Biden has come under renewe­d pressure to select a black woman this week. Dozens of black men, including rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs and civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, released a letter­ on Monday calling on the campaign to name an African-American running mate.

“Failing to select a black woman in 2020 means you will lose the election,” the letter states.

“We don’t want to choose betwee­n the lesser of two evils and we don’t want to vote for the devil we know versus the devil we don’t because we are tired of voting for devils — period.”

Plans for fundraisers featuring the vice-presidential nominee are in the works. Some donors have already received a fundraising invitat­ion titled Introducing our Running Mate, organised by Women for Biden, with a date and time to be determined.

It remains unclear if Mr Biden will appear with his running mate for a formal announcement or if there will be a virtual event. The campaign has said supporters will learn of the pick in a text message.

The Wall Street Journal