# 2020 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection

2020 U.S. presidential election :
Timeline
2017–2019
January–October 2020
November 2020 – January 2021
Presidential debates
Parties
Polling
national
statewide
News media endorsements
primary
general
Fundraising
Russian interference
Presidential electors
Electoral College vote count
Presidential transition
Subsequent voting restrictions :
Attempts to overturn :
Protests
inauguration week
Lawsuits
pre-election
post-election
Texas v. Pennsylvania
Fake electors plot
Chesebro memos
Eastman memos
Jeffrey Clark letter
January 6 Capitol attack
timeline
reactions
domestic
international
aftermath :
Democratic Party :
Primaries
timeline
Candidates
Debates
Forums
Results
Positions
Polling
national
statewide
Endorsements
Nominee
VP candidate selection
Convention
automatic delegates :
Republican Party :
Primaries
Debates
Results
Polling
Endorsements
Nominee
Convention
Reactions to Trump's fraud claims :
Third parties :
Libertarian Party
primaries
convention
nominee
Green Party
primaries
debates
results
convention
nominee
Third-party and independent candidates :
Related races :
Senate
House
Governors :
| ← 2016 | 2020 | 2024 → |
vte :
* This article is part of a series aboutJoe Biden
Personal
Early life and career
Eponyms
Family
Honors
Presidential library
Public image
Age and health concerns
SNL parodies
The Onion parody
Bibliography
Post-presidency
U.S. Senator from Delaware
U.S. Senate career
Judiciary Committee
Bork hearings
Thomas hearings
1994 Crime Bill
Violence Against Women Act
Foreign Relations Committee
Elections
1972
1978
1984
1990
1996
2002
2008
47th Vice President of the United States
Transition
Obama administration
first inauguration
second inauguration
Economic policy
Great Recession response
2010 Tax Relief Act
2011 debt-ceiling crisis
fiscal cliff
Foreign policy
Task forces
Gun Violence
Protect Students from Sexual Assault
Vice presidential campaigns
2008
election
selection
convention
debates
2012
election
convention
debates
46th President of the United States
Presidency
timeline
Transition
COVID-19 Advisory Board
Inauguration
Efforts to impeach
inquiry
Tenure
First 100 days
Executive actions
proclamations
Trips
foreign
'21
'22
'23
'24–'25
Geneva summit
COVID-19 pandemic
Afghanistan withdrawal
Classified documents incident
2023 debt-ceiling crisis
Policies
COVID-19
WH Response Team
Economy
ARP
IIJA
IRA
Electoral/ethics
Environment
Foreign policy
AUKUS
Camp David Principles
IPEF
War in Ukraine
War in Israel
Immigration
border crisis
Social issues
guns
cannabis
marriage
Appointments
Cabinet
Ambassadors
Federal judges
Jackson
Supreme Court candidates
Executive Office
U.S. attorneys
Presidential campaigns
1988
primaries
2008
primaries
2020
primaries
election
sexual assault allegation
Ukraine conspiracy theory
convention
debates
endorsements
VP selection
2024
primaries
debate
endorsements
opposition
withdrawal :
vte :
* This article is part of a series aboutKamala Harris
Personal
Early life
Bibliography
Smart on Crime
Superheroes Are Everywhere
The Truths We Hold
Family
Political positions
Public image
#KHive
27th District Attorney of San Francisco
Elections
2003
2007
32nd Attorney General of California
Tenure
Elections
2010
2014
U.S. Senator from California
2016 election
Legislation
Justice for Victims of Lynching Act
MORE Act
Rent Relief Act
49th Vice President of the United States
Transition
Biden administration
inauguration
Office of Gun Violence Prevention
"You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?"
Vice presidential campaigns
2020
election
selection
convention
debate
"We did it, Joe!"
2024
Presidential campaigns
2020
primaries
endorsements
2024
election
endorsements
VP selection
convention
debates :
vte :
This article lists the candidates for the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 2020 presidential election. Former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware, the 2020 Democratic nominee for President of the United States, considered several prominent Democrats and other individuals before selecting Senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate on August 11, 2020. Harris formally won the vice presidential nomination on August 19, 2020, at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The Biden–Harris ticket would go on to defeat the Trump–Pence ticket in the general election.
In March 2020, Biden promised to select a woman as his running mate, which marked the third time that the vice presidential nominee of a major party in the United States has been a woman, after Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Sarah Palin in 2008.
Harris became the vice president upon inauguration in January 2021 alongside President Biden. She is the first woman to be vice president of the United States, making her the highest-ranking woman in U.S. history, and she is also the first Asian American and Black American vice president. She would go on to become the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024 after Biden withdrew his bid from re-election, but ultimately lost to former President Donald Trump in the general election.

## Selection process

At the March 15, 2020, Democratic primary debate between former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Biden committed to selecting a woman as his running mate. At that same debate, Sanders stated that he would likely do the same, but did not pledge to do so. Biden became the presumptive presidential nominee after Sanders dropped out on April 8, though the Democratic ticket would not be officially nominated until the 2020 Democratic National Convention in August 2020. With his pledge, his running mate became the third woman to be the vice presidential nominee of a major party in United States history, following Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008.
Biden indicated that he would make his selection on the basis of shared political beliefs and past experience. He noted that his selection would likely be younger than he is and that he would likely pick someone who is "ready on Day 1 to be president." On April 30, it was announced that the vetting committee would consist of Lisa Blunt Rochester, Chris Dodd, Eric Garcetti, and Cynthia Hogan.

## Announcement

Biden had initially planned to make his announcement regarding his running mate selection "around" August 1. The announcement date was later pushed back to the second week in August. On August 11, it was reported that Biden had selected his running mate and an announcement was imminent.
Later that day, Kamala Harris was revealed as Biden's vice presidential running mate. Harris was the junior U.S. senator from California, first elected in 2016. She additionally has experience as the Attorney General of California, San Francisco District Attorney, and as a prosecutor. Harris was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, before suspending her campaign in December 2019, later endorsing Biden's campaign in March 2020. Harris was the third woman vice presidential running mate of a major party and the first Asian American. Harris additionally is the first Democrat from the Western United States to appear on a presidential ticket; Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, a Western state, but was nominated as a representative of Illinois.

## Vetting process
### Finalists

On August 13, The New York Times reported the four finalists were Kamala Harris, Susan Rice, Elizabeth Warren, and Gretchen Whitmer.
* Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris from California (2017–2021)
* Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice from Washington, D.C. (2013–2017)
* Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts (2013–present)
* Governor Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan (2019–present)

### Shortlist

The Biden campaign was reported to have begun the vetting process of potential running mates in May 2020. The following officials were reported to have undergone vetting by the Biden campaign. However, following the George Floyd protests, Amy Klobuchar was criticized for her lack of prosecution of police misconduct during her tenure as Hennepin County County Attorney, including a case involving the officer who murdered Floyd. On June 18, she announced that she had removed herself from consideration and urged for Biden to select a woman of color.
On June 12, the Associated Press reported that Keisha Lance Bottoms, Val Demings, Kamala Harris, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Susan Rice, and Elizabeth Warren had advanced to further stages in the vetting process, with the possibility that some other vetted candidates had as well. On June 26, CNN reported that Bottoms, Demings, Harris, and Warren were at that point the leading candidates for the nomination.
On July 29, just a week before Biden's initially planned announcement, The Hill reported that Karen Bass, Harris, Rice, and Warren had emerged as the "top tier" of candidates. On August 2, CNN reported that Tammy Duckworth and Gretchen Whitmer were also still under consideration. On August 10, The New York Times reported that Biden's running mate committee had finished interviewing the possible candidates and that an announcement was "imminent".
In addition to the four finalists, the following individuals were reported to be on Biden's shortlist.
* Senator Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin (2013–present)
* Representative Karen Bass from California (2011–2022)
* Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms from Georgia (2018–2022)
* Representative Val Demings from Florida (2017–2023)
* Senator Tammy Duckworth from Illinois (2017–present)
* Senator Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire (2017–present)
* Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota (2007–present) (withdrew)
* Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham from New Mexico (2019–present)
* Governor Gina Raimondo from Rhode Island (2015–2021)

## Declined to be considered

The following individuals publicly confirmed that they had declined to be vetted by the Biden campaign.
* Senator Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada (2017–present)
* Senator Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire (2009–present)

## Media speculation about other potential running mates

The following individuals received coverage as potential running mates from multiple news sources, but were not reported to have been asked to undergo vetting by the Biden campaign.

### Federal executive branch officials

* Former HUD Secretary and 2020 presidential candidate Julian Castro from Texas (2014–2017)
* Former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton from New York (2009–2013)
* Former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano from Arizona (2009–2013)
* Former Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis from California (2009–2013)
* Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice from California (2005–2009)
* Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates from Georgia (2015–2017)

### Members of Congress

* Representative Cheri Bustos from Illinois (2013–2023)
* Representative Veronica Escobar from Texas (2019–present)
* Representative Marcia Fudge from Ohio (2008–2021)
* Representative and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii (2013–2021)
* Representative Sylvia Garcia from Texas (2019–present)
* Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand from New York (2009–present)
* Senator and 2016 vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine from Virginia (2013–present)
* Representative Joe Kennedy III from Massachusetts (2013–2021)
* Representative Ro Khanna from California (2017–present)
* Representative Barbara Lee from California (1998–2025)
* Representative Katie Porter from California (2019–2025)
* Representative Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts (2019–present)
* Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard from California (1993–2023)
* Senator, 2016 and 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders from Vermont (2007–present)
* Representative Kim Schrier from Washington (2019–present)
* Representative Terri Sewell from Alabama (2011–present)
* Senator Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona (2019–2025)
* Senator Debbie Stabenow from Michigan (2001–2025)
* Representative Maxine Waters from California (1991–present)

### Governors

* Governor Andrew Cuomo from New York (2011–2021)
* Governor Laura Kelly from Kansas (2019–present)
* Former Governor and 2020 presidential candidate Deval Patrick from Massachusetts (2007–2015)

### Mayors

* Mayor of the District of Columbia Muriel Bowser from Washington, D.C. (2015–present)
* Former Mayor of South Bend and 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg from Indiana (2012–2020)
* Former Mayor of Tallahassee Andrew Gillum from Florida (2014–2018)

### Other individuals

* Former State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams from Georgia (2011–2017)
* Former First Lady Michelle Obama from Illinois (2009–2017)
* Attorney General Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania (2017–2023)

## Opinion polling

A Siena College/The New York Times poll released on June 26, 2020, found that over 80% of respondents said that race should not be a factor in Biden's selection.
A Politico/Morning Consult poll released on July 15, 2020, found that 54% of respondents felt that Biden's VP pick will not affect their vote, 16% said it would have a major impact, and 20% said only a minor impact.
Vice presidential polling :
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Stacey Abrams | Tammy Baldwin | Karen Bass | Keisha Lance Bottoms | Catherine Cortez Masto | Val Demings | Tammy Duckworth | Kamala Harris | Amy Klobuchar | Michelle Lujan Grisham | Gina Raimondo | Susan Rice | Elizabeth Warren | Gretchen Whitmer | Others | Undecided |
| The Economist/YouGov | August 2–4, 2020 | 600 (RV) | 6% | 1% | 1% | 3% | – | 3% | 8% | 22% | – | 0% | – | 11% | 21% | 3% | 3% | 19% |
| Yahoo News/YouGov | July 28–30, 2020 | 1088 (RV) | 8% | 3% | 3% | 5% | – | 4% | 6% | 25% | – | 2% | 2% | 14% | 22% | 5% | – | – |
| Hill-HarrisX | July 20–21, 2020 | 947 (RV) | 6% | 3% | – | 3% | – | 3% | 4% | 15% | – | 4% | – | 12% | 16% | 4% | 30% | – |
| Data for Progress | July 20, 2020 | 538 (RV) | 8% | 3% | 1% | 10% | – | 3% | 6% | 21% | – | 2% | – | 6% | 23% | 4% | – | 13% |
| Yahoo! News/YouGov | Jun 9–10, 2020 | 1288 (RV) | 14% | – | – | 6% | – | 8% | – | 24% | 14% | – | – | – | 30% | 5% | – | – |
| Monmouth | Jun 1–9, 2020 | 2240 (LV) | 10% | – | – | 2% | – | 7% | – | 28% | 12% | – | – | 2% | 13% | 2% | 8% | – |
| Yahoo! News/YouGov | May 4–5, 2020 | 1224 (RV) | 11% | 5% | – | – | 6% | – | – | 17% | 18% | – | – | – | 34% | 8% | – | – |
| Vox | May 1, 2020 | 605 (V) | 7% | – | – | – | 3% | – | – | 15% | 9% | – | – | – | 42% | 4% | – | 20% |
| CBS/YouGov | Apr 28–May 1, 2020 | 1671 (LV) | 14% | 1% | – | – | 2% | 3% | 3% | 19% | 13% | 1% | – | 4% | 36% | 3% | 1% | – |
| Economist/YouGov | Apr 26–28, 2020 | 1222 (RV) | 8% | 2% | – | – | – | – | – | 9% | 7% | – | – | – | 15% | 2% | 13% | 44% |
| Harvard/Harris | Apr 14–16, 2020 | 2394 (RV) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10% | 10% | 1% | – | – | 13% | 3% | 63% | – |