‘Everyone’s watching’: Biden’s V.P. audition process begins

WASHINGTON » Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wore a T-shirt on television emblazoned with the words “that woman from Michigan,” a cheeky reference to President Donald Trump’s dismissal of her. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar joined her onetime nemesis, Pete Buttigieg, for a friendly virtual chat on a late-night show. And Stacey Abrams speaks of her political ambition to almost anyone who will listen. The audition to become the next vice president has begun.

And while the coronavirus has upended virtually every aspect of American life, there’s one constant: The veepstakes competition that unfolds every four years is one of the most unpredictable, often awkward, rituals of politics. That’s especially true this time as the pandemic has overtaken the presidential campaign, forcing those thought to be in the running for the No. 2 spot to be even more creative in getting noticed.

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden began the process of selecting a running mate in earnest on Thursday by announcing a committee to vet potential candidates. The panel’s work will likely last through July, he said, meaning months in which some candidates will appear up one day only to fade and potentially be replaced with someone who isn’t on anyone’s radar the next.

Scott Reed, who managed Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign, said the search for a running mate often takes twists and turns because it’s one of the few things a nominee can control after a primary spent largely reacting to surrounding political forces. He said reverberations from the choice can last for years.

“This is the first time in the campaign that the candidate is back in charge of something,” he said. “Everyone’s watching. Everyone in the party, world leaders, business leaders and congressional leaders, because, in a way, it lays out the nominee’s decision-making process, and it answers the question, Does he have one or not?”