The former vice president cares about experience in a running mate.
Mr. Biden often suggests on the campaign trail that the presidency is no place for on-the-job training — and he has signaled that he greatly values experience in a running mate, too.
In the past, some nominees have tapped vice-presidential candidates who were untested on the national stage as part of an effort to shore up a political vulnerability. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Senator John McCain, for instance, picked Sarah Palin, then the governor of Alaska, in an effort to appeal to conservatives — but she often stumbled in the spotlight, creating problems for his team.
Mr. Biden seems leery of that approach, though he has indicated that he would find a range of backgrounds to be useful, from presidential primary debate-stage experience to resumes forged at both the state and national level.
Age is also a factor, the 77-year-old Mr. Biden has said.
“One, that they are younger than I am,” he said in Hudson, N.H. last month, “And No. 2, that they are ready on Day 1 to be president of the United States of America.”
“There has to be some correlation between their views and mine,” he added at that stop. He said that someone who “insisted that we do ‘Medicare for All’” would present “a real problem.” Senator Elizabeth Warren championed Medicare for all last summer and fall, but then pivoted and proposed waiting as long as three years to seek passage of the legislation.
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At his best, his allies say, Mr. Biden is a steady, seasoned hand ready to lead in a tumultuous time. It is a message he and his supporters have increasingly stressed as the country grapples with the coronavirus outbreak — and Mr. Biden appears unlikely to undermine that point with a vice-presidential choice that could be perceived as risky or gimmicky.
His running-mate pick would be seen through the lens of a public health crisis, arguing against selecting someone who is untested in the face of potential catastrophe. Given Mr. Biden’s emphasis on electing a president who does not require on-the-job training, he seems inclined to apply that standard to a running-mate as well.