(Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has interviewed the finalists to be his running mate and his campaign is ready to announce his election as soon as this week, a person familiar with the process told Reuters.
Biden and his potential vice president will formally accept the party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for August 17-20. He is expected to announce his choice before it starts.
The New York Times reported earlier on Monday that Biden’s campaign plans to announce a decision as soon as Tuesday, but more likely on Wednesday, citing people informed about the selection process.
The newspaper said the commission that investigated the candidates had ‘effectively disbanded’ after completing its work. It noted that Biden had missed previous deadlines to announce his choice, and that the timeline could “slide again.”
A Biden campaign spokesman declined to comment.
Biden, the former vice president under Barack Obama, has committed himself to choosing a woman as his running mate and has come under increasing pressure from some Democratic leaders and activists to make her black.
They argue that Biden otherwise risks reducing enthusiasm among Black voters who are so crucial to the Democratic base and his hope not to overthrow Republican President Donald Trump in the November election, especially because it land has been covered with protests against racial injustice.
Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, a group that promotes women of color in politics, told Reuters she thought politics would be “reckless” if Biden did not choose a woman of color.
“It’s the most important decision the Biden camp can make to set the tone for the last 80 or so days,” she said. “Choosing a black woman for the ticket is confirmation that we are included in the vision of management.”
California Senator Kamala Harris and former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, both Blacks, are among the top candidates.
According to Democratic officials and Biden allies, U.S. Representative Karen Bass, a California black lawmaker, and half a dozen other women were under serious consideration. They include Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Representative Val Demings, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Biden’s choice, the most important of his political career, has attracted an unusual amount of attention given his age. If he defeats Trump, he would be 78 on the inauguration day next January, the oldest US president in history, and it is possible that he will seek only one term of four years.
Report by Trevor Hunnicutt and Michael Martina, Edited by Colleen Jenkins and Himani Sarkar
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