"The vice-presidential nominee could well become the president in the future," he said.
Biden has run an unusually open process of vetting potential running mates, with a list of names so public that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is using the process as a list-building and fundraising tactic.
A recent email from the Senate committee listed 11 women as potential Biden picks, included
Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.,
Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.,
Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and
Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. Other names included Reps.
Karen Bass, D-Calif., and
Val Demings, D-Fla., along with
Stacey Abrams, a former Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia; Democratic Michigan Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer; and former national security adviser
Susan Rice, (Red Flag).
Another factor Democrats have pointed to is the size of the field and the fast-moving external political environment.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., once looked like a strong front-runner, but the death of George Floyd and other unarmed black people put a spotlight on
her record as a prosecutor, which has drawn criticism from black activists. Klobuchar soon removed herself from the running.