Biden, Sanders talk about selecting VP

Joe Biden said on Friday that he had discussed the process of selecting a running mate with his chief rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, even as both men continue to compete in the Democratic primary.

It was the latest sign that Biden is hoping to bring the race to a swift close while also trying to be inclusive of a liberal opponent who commands a large following on the party’s left wing.

Biden maintains a significant delegate lead over Sanders, but the coronavirus crisis has effectively put the primary race on hold, though the Wisconsin primary, for now, will proceed as planned on Tuesday.

“One of the things I learned a long time ago, and I really mean this, a good leader has to be willing to have people that are smarter than them, know more than they know about a subject, bring in people who in fact have an expertise you don’t have,” Biden said at a virtual fundraiser on Friday. “And so I am in the process and I actually had this discussion with Bernie.”

“He’s a friend,” Biden continued. “We’re competitors. He’s a friend. I don’t want him to think I’m being presumptuous, but you have to start now deciding who you’re going to have background checks done on as potential vice presidential candidates, and it takes time.”

Sanders, for his part, has said that he sees a “narrow path” in the race, but that campaigns are also an “important way to maintain that fight and raise public consciousness” about key issues.

But at the fundraiser Friday, Biden made clear that he was looking ahead to a potential future administration, speaking in some of his clearest terms so far about what that team could look like should he win.