2020 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection

At the March 15, 2020, Democratic primary debate between former Vice President Joe 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 would not be officially nominated until the 2020 Democratic National Convention in August 2020. With his pledge, his running mate became 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. Biden indicated that he would make his selection on the basis of shared political beliefs and past experience. He noted that his selection would likely be younger than he is and that he would 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. ==Announcement==

Biden had initially planned to make his announcement regarding his running mate selection "around" August 1. The announcement date was later pushed back to the second week in August. On August 11, it was reported that Biden had selected his running mate and an announcement was imminent. Harris was the junior U.S. senator from California, first elected in 2016. She additionally has experience as the Attorney General of California, San Francisco District Attorney, and as a prosecutor. Harris was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, before suspending her campaign in December 2019, later endorsing Biden's campaign in March 2020. Harris was the third woman vice presidential running mate of a major party and the first Asian American. Harris additionally is the first Democrat from the Western United States to appear on a presidential ticket; Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, a Western state, but was nominated as a representative of Illinois. ==Vetting process==

Finalists On August 13, The New York Times reported the four finalists were Kamala Harris, Susan Rice, Elizabeth Warren, and Gretchen Whitmer. File:Kamala Harris official photo (cropped).jpg| File:Susan E. Rice, DPC Director (close-crop).jpg| File:Elizabeth Warren by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg| File:Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (cropped).jpg| Shortlist The Biden campaign was reported to have begun the vetting process of potential running mates in May 2020. The following officials were reported to have undergone vetting by the Biden campaign. However, following the George Floyd protests, Amy Klobuchar was criticized for her lack of prosecution of police misconduct during her tenure as Hennepin County County Attorney, including a case involving the officer who murdered Floyd. On June 18, she announced that she had removed herself from consideration and urged for Biden to select a woman of color. On June 12, the Associated Press reported 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 initially planned announcement, The Hill reported that Karen Bass, Harris, Rice, and Warren had emerged as the "top tier" of candidates. On August 2, CNN reported that Tammy Duckworth and Gretchen Whitmer were also still under consideration. On August 10, The New York Times reported that Biden's running mate committee had finished interviewing the possible candidates and that an announcement was "imminent". In addition to the four finalists, the following individuals were reported to be on Biden's shortlist. File:SenTammyBaldwin (cropped).jpg| File:Mayor Karen Bass official portrait (crop 2).jpg||alt=RepresentativeKaren Bassfrom California(2011–2023) File:Keisha Lance Bottoms (46601210695) (cropped).jpg| File:Val Demings, Official Portrait, 115th Congress (cropped).jpg| File:Tammy Duckworth 115th official portrait (cropped).jpg| File:Maggie Hassan, official portrait, 115th Congress (cropped).jpg| File:Amy Klobuchar 2019 (cropped).jpg| File:Michelle Lujan Grisham 2021.jpg | File:Governor Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island.jpg| ==Declined to be considered==

The following individuals publicly confirmed that they had declined to be vetted by the Biden campaign. Catherine Cortez Masto official portrait.jpg| File:Shaheen Senate Portrait.jpg | ==Media speculation about other potential running mates==

The following individuals received coverage as potential running mates from multiple news sources, but were not reported to have been asked to undergo vetting by the Biden campaign. Federal executive branch officials Julian Castro by Gage Skidmore (2) (cropped).jpg| Hillary Clinton by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg| Janet Napolitano 2018 (cropped).jpg| Hilda Solis 2013 (cropped).jpg| File:Condoleezza Rice July 2018.jpg| Sally Q. Yates (cropped).jpg| Members of Congress File:Cheri Bustos official photo (cropped).jpg| File:Veronica Escobar official portrait, 116th Congress (cropped).jpg| File:Marcia Fudge 116th Congress photo (cropped).jpg| File:Tulsi Gabbard (48609643943) (cropped).jpg| File:Sylvia Garcia, official portrait, 116th Congress (cropped).jpg| File:Kirsten Gillibrand, official photo, 116th Congress (cropped).jpg| File:Tim Kaine 116th official portrait (cropped).jpg| File:Joe Kennedy III, official portrait, 116th Congress (cropped).jpg| File:Ro Khanna, official portrait, 115th Congress (cropped).jpg| File:Barbara Lee by Gage Skidmore.jpg| File:Katie Porter, official portrait, 116th Congress (cropped).jpg| File:Ayanna Pressley Portrait (cropped).jpg| File:Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40).jpg| File:Bernie Sanders in March 2020.jpg| File:Kim Schrier, official portrait, 116th Congress (cropped).jpg| File:Terri Sewell official photo (cropped).jpg| File:Kyrsten Sinema in 2020 (cropped2).jpg| File:Debbie Stabenow, official photo, 116th Congress (4x5 crop).jpg| File:Maxine Waters (48010684107) (cropped).jpg| Governors File:Andrew Cuomo 2019 (cropped).jpg|alt=| File:Laura Kelly official photo (cropped).jpg|alt=| File:Deval Patrick official photo (1).jpg|alt=| Mayors File:Muriel Bowser official photo (2).jpg| File:Pete Buttigieg 2020 (2).jpg| File:Andrew Gillum.jpg| Other individuals File:Stacey Abrams by Gage Skidmore.jpg| File:Michelle Obama 2013 official portrait (cropped 3x4 closein).jpg| File:Josh Shapiro 2021 (alt crop).jpg| ==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. ==See also==