Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at a campaign event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 11, 2020. © REUTERS/Bastiaan Slabbers
Axios: Biden confidants see VP choices narrowing to Harris and Rice
Confidants of Joe Biden believe his choices for vice president have narrowed to Sen. Kamala Harris and Susan Rice — and would be surprised if he picks anyone else.
The state of play: This is a snapshot of the nearly unanimous read that we get from more than a dozen people close to him.
* Of course, it comes with a giant asterisk: Only Biden knows for sure, and the more insiders know, the less they say to reporters.
* He's not expected to announce his choice for another week or so — the Democratic convention begins Aug. 17 — so that reality could certainly change.
What's happening: The campaign is now in methodical mode as it finalizes vetting, looks at internal polling results on potential picks and talks to finalists one-on-one.
* In third place is Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), who had a faltering performance on the Sunday shows after revelations about her past views on Cuba and Scientology.
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Update: Sources Close to Biden Say He's Narrowed His VP List to Two (PJ Media)
WNU Editor: This is a tough one for me. Mainly because it is easier for me to say who he should not pick rather than who he should pick. All of the names that have been thrown in the air have a lot of baggage that will hurt the Biden campaign, and I do not see any of them being an asset in swing states that the former Vice President needs to win. But if I had to choose, it will be Susan Rice. Both Rice and Biden are creatures of Washington. They have known and worked with each other for many years. She is someone that Biden trusts, and she presents herself well on TV. Her weakness is no one knows how she will be as a campaigner. I looked and could not find any videos of her in campaign mode in front of a large audience. What Biden needs is someone to dominate the campaign trail. To hit 4 or 5 campaign spots daily, because he certainly does not have the energy to do it. If Biden does not choose Rice, it will be due to this lack of campaign experience. And if Sen. Kamala Harris is chosen, it will be due to her ability to campaign all of the across the country and to motivate the Democrat base because many of them are only motivated to vote Trump out rather than voting Biden in.
