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Biden Tackles Running Mate Decision Under Shadow of Virus Fight

  • Democrat needs a partner who’ll be able to manage recovery
  • Selection process just beginning, vetting to start this month
From left, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Gretchen Whitmer and Cory Booker appear during a campaign event for Biden in Detroit on March 9. 

From left, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Gretchen Whitmer and Cory Booker appear during a campaign event for Biden in Detroit on March 9. 

Photographer: Erin Kirkland/Bloomberg

Joe Biden, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is in the earliest stages of choosing a running mate who can help him defeat President Donald Trump in November, a decision complicated by the effects of the coronavirus crisis on the country and the campaign.

Biden, who is far behind Trump in fund-raising and hamstrung by social distancing rules, is preparing to begin his vetting process in the coming days, according to a person familiar with the plans. Yet alongside the usual political considerations, he will have to add a new criteria for the candidates: Who can best address the challenges of the coronavirus era.