Biden has talked to Sanders about process for picking running mate

Joe Biden said 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 effectively has put the primary race on hold.

“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 Friday, according to a pool report. “And so I am in the process, and I actually had this discussion with Bernie.” 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. He said that by “sometime in the middle of the month we’re going to announce a committee that’s going to be overseeing the vice presidential selection process.”