Washington, Monday

White House hopeful Joe Biden has committed to picking a woman as his vice presidential candidate should he win the Democratic nomination, a race he currently leads against Bernie Sanders.

“If I’m elected president, my cabinet, my administration, will look like the country, and I commit that I will in fact appoint a woman to be vice president,” Biden, himself a former vice president, said during a high-stake debate against his leftist rival Sanders on Sunday.

The debate took place as the nation confronts the coronavirus pandemic, with the candidates’ podiums set six feet apart serving as a reminder of the global public health emergency.

“There are a number of women who are qualified to be vice president tomorrow,” the moderate Biden added.

The leftist Sanders, for his part, responded by saying that “in all likelihood” he would do the same.

“To me, it’s not just nominating a woman. It is making sure that we have a progressive woman and there are progressive women out there.”

Two women have been chosen as running mates for major party nominees. 

Democrat Walter Mondale put Geraldine Ferraro on the ticket in 1984, while Sarah Palin was Republican John McCain’s pick in 2008, but both lost their elections.

It has been no secret that both Biden and Sanders was seriously considering naming a female vice presidential candidate. 

Among Biden’s possible choices are Senator Kamala Harris and Senator Amy Klobuchar, both former competitors in the battle for this year’s Democratic Party nomination—or even the progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren, who was briefly a frontrunner in the race.

Prior to her position in the US Senate, the African-American Harris served as the attorney general of California, while Klobuchar is a moderate from the Midwestern state of Minnesota.

Clear lead

It was the first one-on-one showdown between the primary’s two finalists. The delegate math suggests their race is approaching its end, with the former vice president building a clear lead that’s expected to grow Tuesday with primaries in Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio.

Biden and Sanders launched a joint attack on President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, accusing the president of undermining his own scientists with misinformation.

“We have to shut this president up right now because he’s undermining the doctors and the scientists who are trying to help the American people,” said Sanders, referring to multiple Trump statements at odds with expert views.

The two rivals also sparred about their record, taking advantage of the first one-on-one format of the marathon campaign to engage in extended—though civil—policy clashes on everything from universal healthcare and climate change to deportations and foreign policy.

But with Biden appearing to have a good night, riding high as the frontrunner following three weeks of strong performances in multiple primaries, he made a splash by saying he will “commit” to picking a female running mate. -AFP