Joe Biden said that he expects to announce his vice presidential pick around Aug. 1.
The information on the expected running mate announcement timeline came during a virtual fundraiser on Wednesday featuring former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, with around 200 donors, according to a pool report.
That means the Democratic vice presidential presumptive nominee will be known a few weeks before the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for Aug. 17 to 20 in Milwaukee, but may largely take place via virtual speeches due to the coronavirus pandemic. Biden said earlier on Wednesday that he could see the convention taking place over two days with 5,000 people.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former vice president has pledged to pick a woman to be his running mate and said that the selection committee process is in its beginning stages.
“We’re in the process of deciding the basic cut about whether or not they really want it. Are they comfortable? They’ve asked a lot of questions,” Biden said.
He has previously said that more than a dozen women are being considered for the job. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Florida Rep. Val Demings, and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar are among the women who have been asked to start the vetting process.
“I want to make sure that wherever I speak to, whoever I have, has some qualities that I don’t possess, as well as is willing to, in fact, tell me the truth, but also do it in a way that is between the two of us between her and me so that they can, in fact, be completely candid with me because I want to have people around me that have strengths and capacities I don’t,” Biden said.
In addition to aligning with his policy priorities, Biden has said that he is looking for a running mate who is able to assume the presidency on day one because “I’m an old guy.”
