Joe Biden's search for running mate is down to final four: Senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren are joined by Florida rep Val Demings and Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
- Joe Biden has four leading prospects as his campaign vets vice presidential picks
- CNN reported Friday they are Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, Florida Rep. Val Demings and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
- Biden is expected to interview the top candidates in mid to late July and then make the announcement in August, prior to the convention
Joe Biden has likely winnowed down his vice presidential preferences to a final four, CNN reported Friday.
More than a dozen people close to the process told the network that the quartet of 'leading prospects' are Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, who competed against Biden in the Democratic primary, along with Rep. Val Demings, Orlando's former police chief, and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the mayor of Atlanta.
Other women are still being vetted including Susan Rice, President Obama's national security adviser, Rep. Karen Bass of California and Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Tammy Duckworth, CNN said.
THE FINAL FOUR? CNN reported Friday that Joe Biden has a quartet of 'leading prospects' for the vice presidential spot. In March he committed to
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (left) and Kamala Harris are both on the list. They both ran for president against Biden in the Democratic primary
Rep. Val Demings of Florida was formerly the police chief of Orlando. She's become a top pick in the wake of George Floyd's death and rose to prominence during the impeachment proceedings earlier this year
Joe Biden is also considering Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who's become more prominant in the aftermath of Rayshard Brooks' death
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a former 2020 hopeful, was being considered, but took herself out of the running, recommending Biden pick a woman of color.
'This is a historic moment, and America must seize on this moment,' Klobuchar said announcing the decision. 'And I truly believe as, I actually told the vice president last night when I called him, that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket.'
Biden committed to choosing a female running mate in March, at his last primary debate against Bernie Sanders, who endorsed Biden in April.
Since the Memorial Day death of George Floyd and the subsequent 'Black Lives Matter' protests, he's also seeing some political pressure to choose a woman of color.
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Of the top four options, three of the four are women of color. Warren is white but claimed some Native American ancestry, which has been politically problematic in the past.
CNN said that separate teams of lawyers are vetting each candidate and reviewing three types of records - written, financial and medical.
Interviews are being conducted too, but Biden likely won't sit-down with finalists until mid-to-late July.
Running mates are generally announced right before a party's convention, which for Democrats is now taking place in mid-August.
It was originally scheduled for mid-July, but pushed off a month over COVID-19 concerns.
The coronavirus pandemic is also changing the way vetting is being done.
'Every stone is being turned over, just not necessarily in person,' a person close to the process told CNN.
