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Here are 8 women Joe Biden could name as his running mate

Biden, who committed to naming a woman, said at a fundraiser he would announce his vice presidential nominee around Aug. 1.
Credit: AP
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden gestures as he speaks during a caucus night event Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Before facing President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in November, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has another challenge: picking a running mate. 

This week during a fundraiser, Biden said he would name his vice presidential nominee around Aug. 1. Back in March, Biden committed to choosing a woman during a CNN debate with then presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. 

“I commit that I will, in fact, appoint a woman to be vice president,” Mr. Biden said on March 15. “There are a number of women qualified to be president tomorrow.” 

Biden has been pressured to pick a woman of color to help attract voters from minority groups. However, Biden isn't ready to make that commitment. 

"There are women of color under consideration, and they're women from every part of the country -- so a lot of really qualified women that are ready to be president," he said in an interview with CNN Tuesday.

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Beyond picking a woman, Biden may be picking the Democratic nominee for 2024. There were reports are recently as December that Biden, who will be 78 on inauguration day, told aides he would only serve one term.

Here are some of the women Biden has reported or rumored to be considering.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

The 70-year-old former presidential candidate, known for a progressive resume, may help attract voters from the left.

During the primary, Biden and Warren publicly disagreed on the topic of healthcare, with Warren committing to a Medicare for All-type plan and Biden supporting an expanded Obamacare.

While Biden and Warren fall on different ideological sides of the Democratic party, a combined ticket could lead to a marriage of moderate and progressive ideals.

The U.S. senator from Massachusetts also provides the greatest boost to Biden, according to two recent polls from Morning Consult and CBS News. In the Morning Consult poll, Black and Hispanic voters said Warren, more than any other potential running mate, would increase the chance they would vote for Biden.

Credit: AP
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during a town hall meeting Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in Muscatine, Iowa. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Sen. Kamala Harris

The former presidential candidate checks a lot of boxes for as a potential running mate.

Before serving as U.S. senator, Harris served as Attorney General of California.

Harris, the first black senator from California, notably clashed with Biden on the debate stage for the Democratic presidential nomination on the issue of busing, a controversial topic involving busing minority students to majority-white schools to encourage desegregation in the 1970s. 

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, an ally of President Trump, said this week Harris is "hard-nosed. She's smart. She's tough" and he sees her as an asset to Biden's campaign. 

Credit: AP Photo/Richard Vogel
In this Sunday May 19, 2019 photo Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., talks during her first campaign organizing event at Los Angeles Southwest College in Los Angeles.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar

The former 2020 presidential candidate and U.S. senator from Minnesota has already been asked Biden to undergo formal vetting to be considered the vice presidential nominee. 

While Klobuchar has been cited as one of the most effective senators, the 60-year-old would bring baggage related to her time as a county attorney. Progressives worry that Klobuchar would be unable to capture the left-leaning side of the party and worry that some of her decisions as a prosecutor will alienate her from the African-American community.

Supporters of Klobuchar argue that she works across the aisle and has dedicated herself to supporting Biden's campaign after dropping her own presidential bid. 

Credit: AP
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks during the Power of our Pride Town Hall Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, in Los Angeles. The LGBTQ-focused town hall featured nine 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Rep. Val Demings

The Florida congresswoman has also said she is on the shortlist as a potential running mate. Demings, the former chief of the Orlando Police Department, would bring a law enforcement background to the ticket. 

Demings was selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as one of seven impeachment managers who presented the case against Trump to the U.S. Senate. 

While she may not have the name recognition as some of the other candidates, Demings home state of Florida will be a battleground in the general election.

Credit: AP
Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., speaks during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams is the former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives. The 46-year-old is one of the youngest women Biden is potentially considering as vice president.

Abrams gained national attention in 2018 for her closely watched race for governor of Georgia. She became the first black woman in the U.S. to be a major-party gubernatorial candidate. Abrams ultimately lost to current Gov. Brian Kemp but she has refused to concede, claiming voter suppression.

Outside of politics, Abrams is an award-winning author of several romantic suspense novels she wrote under the pen name Selena Montgomery. 

Credit: AP
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams speaks during the National Action Network Convention in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

The first-term governor of Michigan has been pushed into the political spotlight as she continues to lead her state through the coronavirus pandemic. Whitmer has recently faced backlash for her stay-at-home order and has been the subject of criticism by Trump, protesters and a lawsuit from GOP lawmakers.

The governor also faces a recognition problem as 63% of Democratic voters say they haven't heard or don't know of her, according to a recent CNN poll

Voters see benefits to a potential Biden-Whitmer ticket including the fact that she represents one of three states narrowly won by Trump on the way to his electoral college victory in the 2016 presidential election. Prior to 2016, Republicans had not won Michigan or Pennsylvania since 1988, and had not won Wisconsin since 1984.

Credit: AP
Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a lawsuit against 17 PFAS manufacturers at the Attorney General's office in Lansing, Mich., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

Lujan Grisham serves as the first Democratic female Hispanic governor in the country, meaning the New Mexico native would bring diversity to the ticket.

Before serving as governor of New Mexico, Lujan Grisham served in the U.S. House and was formerly New Mexico's Secretary of Health. 

Many Latinx activist groups have called on Biden to choose a Hispanic running mate. With Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto removing her name from consideration this week, Lujan Grisham becomes the leading Latina contender. 

RELATED: Sen. Cortez Masto withdraws name from Biden VP consideration

Credit: AP Photo/Morgan Lee, File
In this Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, file photo, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham talks after signing an executive order for state agencies to aggressive pursue strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Santa Fe, N.M. Grisham ordered the withdrawal of the majority of the state's National Guard troops from the U.S. border with Mexico on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in a move that challenges President Donald Trump's description of a security crisis.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

Like Abrams, Bottoms comes from Georgia where she currently serves as mayor of Atlanta.

The former judge and city councilor was one of Biden's earliest supporters, endorsing the former vice president in June 2019. Bottoms even served as a precinct captain for Biden in Iowa, where he finished fourth in the primary. 

Bottoms has publicly and frequently spoken out against President Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. 

Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

TEGNA's Travis Pittman contributed to this report.

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