Biden will not announce VP pick this week: campaign

WASHINGTON: US presidential candidate Joe Biden will not reveal his long-awaited choice of running mate this week despite previous expectations he would, his campaign told AFP on Tuesday.

"I'm going to have a choice in the first week in August," Biden told reporters on July 28. "And I promise, I'll let you know when I do."

His selection will "not be made during this current week," a member of his campaign team said, though it must be done before the Democratic party convention opens on August 17.

The former vice president to Barack Obama has promised that he would choose a woman to join his ticket challenging Republican President Donald Trump in the November 3 election.

About a dozen names have been raised, with one favorite appearing to be US Senator Kamala Harris of California.

The choice of a running mate has added significance this year because of Biden's age.

He turns 78 on November 20 and would be the oldest man ever to assume the office if he defeats Trump, as polls predict.

Besides Harris, three other senators are believed to be under consideration -- Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Two other lawmakers appear to be in the running -- Florida congresswoman Val Demings and California representative Karen Bass -- and two governors: Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer and New Mexico's Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has also been mentioned along with Susan Rice, who served as national security advisor under Obama.

Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican-born father and Indian-born mother, served as a district attorney in San Francisco before becoming attorney general of California, the first woman to hold the post in the most populous US state.

She was elected to the Senate in 2016, just the second black woman elected to the body and the first woman of South Asian heritage.

While Harris would be the first black woman on the ticket of a major party, she failed to excite black voters during the primaries, reportedly due to her reputation for being a tough prosecutor.