WASHINGTON • US presidential hopeful Joe Biden says that he has discussed the process of selecting a running mate with his chief rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, even as both men continue to compete in the Democratic primary.
It was the latest sign that the front runner 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.
Mr Biden maintains a significant delegate lead over Mr Sanders, but the coronavirus pandemic has effectively put the party's primary race on hold, though the Wisconsin primary, for now, will proceed as planned tomorrow.
"One of the things I learnt 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," Mr Biden said at a virtual fundraiser last Friday, according to a news pool report.
"And so I am in the process and I actually had this discussion with Bernie."
"He's a friend," Mr Biden continued. "We're competitors. He's a friend. I don't want him to think I'm being presumptuous, but you have to start now deciding who you're going to have background checks done on as potential vice-presidential candidates, and it takes time."
It was the first time he has publicly acknowledged private conversations with his only remaining rival in the Democratic primary race.
Mr Biden had previously said that his staff had been in touch with Mr Sanders' team and, in an interview with MSNBC's Brian Williams last Tuesday, said that "there ought to be a way we could accommodate his concerns on other matters in terms of everything from people being engaged, to his organisation".
Mr 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 last Friday, Mr 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". He also said - as he has before - that he has discussed the search process with former president Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice-president.
The fundraiser was hosted by Mr Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, and his wife, Ms Kathy Surace-Smith, the senior vice-president of NanoString Technologies. The event was livestreamed, and the Biden campaign said 181 people attended.
NYTIMES, BLOOMBERG
