Biden made a point of noting that it was presumptuous to talk about a running mate, given that he has not won the Democratic nomination. He went on to recall his working relationship with former president Barack Obama and their trust for each other, telling the crowd, "The only thing I know about is the qualifications for vice-president."

Loading

As for his own vice presidential pick, Biden noted that there were "a lot of qualified women" and "a lot of qualified African Americans."

"There's a plethora of really qualified people," he said. "Whomever I would pick were I fortunate enough to be your nominee, I'd pick someone who was simpatico with me."

Biden, like other presidential candidates, has been largely circumspect about naming names, though he did say this month that he would consider a former rival in the race, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, as a possible running mate. He also said that he would consider another primary rival, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

In November, Biden referenced four female Democrats as possible running mates. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both of New Hampshire; Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia House minority leader and the party's nominee for governor there in 2018; and Sally Yates, the former acting attorney-general who was fired by President Donald Trump in 2017.

Loading

Biden did not name the women, but rather referred to them indirectly — in the case of Abrams, as "the woman who should have been the governor of Georgia."

The New York Times