At the March 15, 2020 Democratic primary debate between former Vice PresidentJoe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Biden committed to selecting a woman as his running mate. At that same debate, Sanders stated that he would likely do the same, but did not pledge to do so. Biden became the presumptive presidential nominee after Sanders dropped out on April 8, though the Democratic ticket will not be officially nominated until the 2020 Democratic National Convention in August 2020. Biden has said that he intends to announce his running mate the first week of August 2020. Assuming Biden follows through on his pledge, his running mate would become the third woman to be the vice presidential nominee of a major party in United States history, following Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008. If the Democratic ticket wins the 2020 election, Biden's running mate would become the first woman serving as Vice President of the United States on January 20, 2021. Additionally, Biden has indicated that he will make his selection on the basis of shared political beliefs and past experience. He has noted that his selection will likely be younger than he is and that he will likely pick someone who is "ready on Day 1 to be president." On April 30, it was announced that the vetting committee would consist of Lisa Blunt Rochester, Chris Dodd, Eric Garcetti, and Cynthia Hogan.
Vetting process
The Biden campaign was reported to have begun the vetting process of potential running mates in May 2020, which is expected to last several months. The Associated Press reported on June 12, that Keisha Lance Bottoms, Val Demings, Kamala Harris, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Susan Rice, and Elizabeth Warren had advanced to further stages in the vetting process, with the possibility that some other vetted candidates had as well. On June 26, CNN reported that Bottoms, Demings, Harris, and Warren were at that point the leading candidates for the nomination. On July 29, just a week before Biden's planned announcement, The Hill reported that Karen Bass, Harris, Rice, and Warren had emerged as the "top tier" of candidates. The following six individuals were originally cited to have begun undergoing vetting by the Biden campaign in May or June 2020, but it is uncertain whether they have moved on to further stages in subsequent months or not. Following the George Floyd protests, Amy Klobuchar was criticized for her lack of prosecution of police misconduct during her tenure, including a case involving the officer accused of murdering Floyd. On June 18, she announced that she had removed herself from consideration and urged for Biden to select a woman of color.
Declined to be considered
The following individuals publicly confirmed that they had declined to be vetted by the Biden campaign.
Media speculation about other potential running mates
The following individuals received coverage as potential running mates from multiple news sources, but have not been reported to have been asked to undergo vetting by the Biden campaign. Members of Congress Federal executive branch officials Governors Mayors Other individuals
Opinion polling
A Siena College/The New York Times poll released on June 26, 2020 found that over 80% of respondents said that race should not be a factor in Biden's selection. A Politico/Morning Consult poll released on July 15, 2020 found that 54% of respondents felt that Biden's VP pick will not affect their vote, 16% said it would have a major impact, and 20% said only a minor impact.
