Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden could announce his pick for vice-presidential candidate by the middle of this week, The New York Times reported on Monday.
The New York Times claimed Biden had "told allies that he has interviewed every finalist in his vice-presidential search". In another sign that a running mate announcement is imminent, The New York Times reported that a four-member panel Biden constituted to screen potential vice-presidential candidates had been "effectively disbanded”.
"Mr. Biden’s political team has prepared rollout plans for several of the finalists, and he is expected to announce his decision as soon as Tuesday, though more Democrats expect it to come on Wednesday. The former vice-president, however, has not been known for his punctuality so far in the presidential race and the timeline could well slip again," The New York Times reported.
Biden had conducted both in-person meetings and remote calls with contenders.
"Some of the strongest contenders have been Senator Kamala Harris of California; Susan Rice, the former national security adviser; Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, who met with Mr. Biden on Aug. 2. Mr. Biden and his team have also closely considered Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and Representatives Karen Bass of California and Val Demings of Florida," The New York Times reported.
A key theme of Biden's campaign has been the question of whether Biden would choose a woman of colour as running mate. Biden has considered Black, Latina and Asian-Americans as well as Whites.
Amid the turmoil in the US after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, Biden has faced calls to choose a Black woman as running mate.
Last week, Biden faced criticism for purported remarks that offended Blacks.
Responding to question on CBS News on whether he would take a cognitive test, Biden retorted the query was akin to "asking the Black reporter if he would take a drug test to see if 'you're taking cocaine or not? ... Are you a junkie?'”
In an interview with National Public Radio, Biden had sought to make a distinction between Black and Hispanic voters. “Unlike the African-American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things,” Biden claimed.
While Biden attempted to clarify his comments, US President Donald Trump criticised him.
