Washington, May 22 (IANS) Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has asked Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar to undergo a formal vetting to be considered as his running mate for Vice President, local media reported.
The request for information from potential running mates like Klobuchar “is underway”, Xinhua news agency quoted a senior Biden campaign aide as saying on CBS News on Thursday.
It’s not yet clear if Klobuchar has consented to the vetting.
If a potential contender consents, she should be poised to undergo a rigorous multi-week review of her public and private life and work by a hand-picked group of Biden confidantes, who will review tax returns, public speeches, voting records, past personal relationships and potentially scandalous details from her past, said a CBS News report.
Biden has publicly credited Klobuchar for strong debate performances and for helping him win her home state Minnesota in March.
Biden committed during a March primary debate to picking a woman as his running mate and told donors during a fundraiser last month that he hoped this vetting process would be done by July.
Besides Klobuchar, California Senator Kamala Harris, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer were thought to be possible contenders.
The 77-year-old former Vice President would be the oldest man ever elected to the White House and has not committed to seeking a second term if he wins the presidency, meaning his Vice President would be a presumptive front-runner in the 2024 election, or positioned to lead the pack in 2028.
Biden is currently holding a 11-point lead over sitting President Donald Trump, a Quinnipiac University poll showed on Wednesday.
He leads Trump 50 to 39 per cent in a head-to-head matchup in the US presidential election slated to be held in November.
That’s up from the 49 – 41 per cent lead Biden held in April’s poll.
–IANS
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