Why Biden keeps missing his own VP deadlines
Joe Biden’s campaign staff is making plans to introduce his eventual vice presidential choice to key party constituencies. Donors are readying finance events featuring the still-unnamed running mate — “date and time to be announced.” An in-person reveal is being discussed.
But as the political world awaits his announcement, Biden himself has not appeared to be in a big rush — no surprise to those who know him well.
His first self-imposed date for naming a running mate, around Aug. 1, came and went. The first week of August, another timeline he publicly floated, is nearly over, and an aide confirmed that an announcement would not happen this week. Biden has reached the final stage of his deliberations and is expected to name his choice shortly before the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 17. And while that is in keeping with the timeline of the two previous Democratic nominees, it is at odds with Biden’s own words.
“The deadline for a VP nomination is the convention,” said Rep. Cedric Richmond, a co-chair of Biden’s campaign. “He’s very deliberative with his decision-making. It works.”
Yet as the process has stretched out, each day has also brought intensive lobbying, uncertainty for the contenders and, increasingly, visible factions.
Republicans, in the meantime, are previewing their attacks on several of the potential contenders, including Susan Rice, the former national security adviser; and Democratic opposition research is also flying, aimed at cutting down some contenders in the mix.
Sen. Kamala Harris has faced sharp questioning from some Biden supporters about whether she would be loyal to his political agenda – an issue that has played out publicly and created fierce backlash.
Names frequently discussed in Biden circles over the last week, according to interviews with top Biden allies, include Harris, Rice and Rep. Karen Bass of California, along with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. Some supporters also remain enthusiastic about Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth, among others.