US: Biden set to make choice in Democratic veepstakes

With election day three months away, Democrat Joe Biden is on the verge of picking a running mate, if he hasn't already, a decision that is likely the most significant of his decades-long political career.

This week largely belongs to Biden, who is days away from announcing the winner of the veepstakes. The public and private jockeying among the prospective picks has intensified, but expect it to get even hotter before it's over. Beleaguered Republicans are praying for a flawed pick who would help make the 2020 contest a binary choice instead of a referendum on President Donald Trump.

Much of what you see and hear in the coming days is likely a reflection of spinning by the supposed finalists and by Washington group think that may or may not be connected to reality.

We know for sure that Biden will pick a woman, and he said he would make his decision this week, although his campaign has raised the possibility that a formal announcement wouldn't come until next week. The finalists are thought to include California Sen. Kamala Harris, former national security adviser Susan Rice, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Rep. Karen Bass, and it's always possible the choice will be someone else.

"Black women (...) are the most reliable at the core group of voters for the Democratic Party," The Associated Press reporter Kat Stafford says. "They want to have tangible power within this party and they see that they see that pathway to power through having a Black woman named as a potential vice president of the United States of America."

Many establishment voices are urging Biden to go with Harris, a potential fundraising star who has already been vetted on the presidential stage and been elected statewide multiple times. Some Obama allies are pushing Rice, who has never run for public office but has an unrivaled command of global affairs and experience working at Biden's side. Many progressives are hoping for a more "exciting" pick — such as Warren or Bass — who could help energize the party's left flank.

This marks the last major moment of the 2020 campaign truly under Biden's control.