BY TREVOR HUNNICUTT AND JAMES OLIPHANT
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden’s search for a running mate for the Nov. 3 election is drawing to a close.
Biden has vowed to choose a woman as his potential vice president and has said he will make his announcement in the first week of August. Here are the contenders likely under final consideration:
Senator Kamala Harris:
Following widespread protests over racial injustice and police brutality, pressure increased on Biden to choose a woman of color. Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian parents, fits the bill.
Former national security adviser Susan Rice:
Rice, 55, served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser during his second term, where she worked hand in hand on foreign policy matters with Biden, who was Obama’s vice president.
Representative Val Demings:
Biden has said Demings, 63, an African-American congresswoman from the election battleground state of Florida, is on the shortlist for running mate.
Senator Tammy Duckworth:
Duckworth, 52, has a compelling personal story and would help bolster the campaign’s national security credentials.
The senator from Illinois is a combat veteran who lost her legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq in 2004. She went on to become the first woman with a disability and the first Thai-American elected to Congress. Duckworth, however, has not been on the forefront of civil justice issues like Harris, Bass and others on Biden’s list.
Senator Elizabeth Warren:
Warren, 71, has spoken with Biden regularly since dropping out of the Democratic nominating race and endorsing him. The senator from Massachusetts is seen by Biden advisers as a bridge between the former vice president and people skeptical of his commitment to progressive policy priorities.
