Some anxious political observers wonder why Joe Biden is allowing his running mate search to go on for longer than planned and whether the delay will harm his eventual pick’s profile. But the messy end-stage selection could be more of a feature, rather than a bug, of the selection process.

Biden is reportedly interviewing the top contenders in his shortlist of potential running mates this week. That puts him about a week behind the previously expected schedule. Months ago, Biden said that he would announce a running mate around Aug. 1. Last week, Biden said that his pick would be announced in the first week of August. Now, sources say that announcement will come in the second week of the month.