4 things to know about Biden’s potential VP picks
With less than two weeks to go until the Democratic National Convention, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is expected to announce his running mate in the coming days.
While he promised that he would select a woman to be his vice presidential nominee, it remains to be seen which woman he will ultimately end up selecting. Currently, the list of finalists includes three African-American women — California Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., and former National Security Adviser Susan Rice.
Biden will not be the first presidential candidate to pick a female running mate. In 1984, Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale put New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro on his ticket. In 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.
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Ultimately, both the Mondale-Ferraro and McCain-Palin tickets ended up losing their respective bids for the White House. The United States has yet to have a female vice president or president but that could change if Biden wins the 2020 presidential election.
Considering Biden’s advanced age, the Democratic vice presidential selection process has received much more scrutiny than usual this year. Should Biden fail to serve out his term for health reasons or decide against running for a second term, the responsibility of running the free world could end up on the shoulders of his vice presidential pick.
Here are four things to know about each of the top contenders for the 2020 Democratic vice presidential slot.
