Joe Biden’s search for his vice presidential running mate was conducted under strict secrecy, with most campaign aides, donors and even many longtime Biden friends intentionally kept in the dark.
People close to the process said it was heavily influenced by the nation’s reckoning on racism.
Biden said July 21 that he was considering four Black women to be his running mate, and had been receiving extensive vetting briefings about each potential candidate.
“I am not committed to naming any (of the potential candidates), but the people I’ve named, and among them there are four Black women,” Biden told MSNBC’s Joy Reid on “The ReidOut.”
Biden said he was getting a “two-hour vetting report” on each of his potential picks, and that he and his team have gone through “about four candidates” so far.
“Then, when I get all the vetting done of all the candidates, then I’m going to narrow the list, and then we’ll see. And then I’m going to have personal discussions with each of the candidates who are left and make a decision,” Biden said.
CNN previously reported that Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Rep. Val Demings of Florida, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice and Rep. Karen Bass of California were among the Black women being considered.
Biden had announced that he would choose a woman as his running mate.
Separate teams of lawyers assigned to each of the contenders neared the closing stages of reviewing three distinct types of records — written, financial and medical — in their background checks, according to people involved in the process.
The search was a dynamic one, though, which has evolved significantly from when it started. The goal was to have an array of options for Biden, particularly if an early favorite runs into complications.
With reporting from CNN’s Kate Sullivan and Sarah Mucha
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