The former vice president previously said he intends to choose a female running mate and voters are pressuring him to choose a woman of color.
Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he will choose his VP running mate the first week of August.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, made the comment to reporters after a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, Politico reports.
“I’m going to have a choice in the first week in August,” Biden said. “I promise I’ll let you know when I do.”
When asked by reporters whether he will meet in person with finalists, Biden remarked, “We’ll see.”
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“I’m going to try to figure out how to trick you all so I can meet with them in person. You’ve got crews outside my house,” he said jokingly.
The former vice president previously said he intends to choose a female running mate and voters are pressuring him to choose a woman of color.
Biden’s former primary rivals, California Sen. Kamala Harris and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are reportedly being considered for the Democratic ticket. Stacey Abrams, the former top Democrat in the Georgia House and ex-gubernatorial candidate, has also publicly campaigned for the VP position.
According to CNN, other female powerhouses who have been considered include Obama’s former national security adviser Susan Rice, Florida Rep. Val Demings, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Rep. Karen Bass, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
When Sen. Harris appeared on Joy Reid’s former MSNBC morning show in April, she made clear her stance on Biden‘s running mate veepstakes.
“I believe it is important to have a woman of color, or a woman, as he has said, on the ticket, and you can take Joe Biden at his word,” the California Democrat said.
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theGRIO previously reported, Biden announced in April his plans to assemble a team to vet potential candidates by May 1 and then the list of contenders would be narrowed down in July, according to CNN.
“The first and most important quality is someone who, if I were to walk away immediately from the Office for whatever reason that they can be president and the public could look at that person and say she is capable of being President of the United States tomorrow,” Biden said during an appearance on CBS’ “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”
During his speech at a local community center on Tuesday afternoon, Biden spoke of his economic recovery plan aimed on combating racial inequality. He proposed spending $30 billion to help Black and Brown small-business owners.
On Twitter he wrote, “Small business ownership is one of our country’s cornerstones for wealth building and job creation. But Black and Brown entrepreneurs face far too many barriers to ownership, growth, and success. I’ve got a plan to change that.”
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