Joe Biden Vows to Pick a Woman to Be His Vice President

(Bloomberg) -- Joe Biden committed to choosing a woman to be his vice president if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee, though his rival Bernie Sanders didn’t make as firm a promise to do so during a debate Sunday.

“I commit that I will, in fact, pick a woman to be vice president,” Biden said. “There are a number of women qualified to be president tomorrow. I would pick a woman to be my vice president.”

The pledge came after a voter asked via video what the candidates would do to ensure that women are represented in their administration.

Sanders didn’t commit to having a female vice president, but said “in all likelihood” he would.

“For me, it’s not just nominating a woman, it is making sure that we have a progressive woman -- and there are progressive women out there,” Sanders said. “So my very strong tendency is to move in that direction.”

The debate, moderated by CNN and Univision, is the first to be held without a live audience and the first this cycle with only two candidates. It was initially slated to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, but was moved to CNN Studios in Washington amid concerns over the novel coronavirus pandemic.

To contact the reporter on this story: Emma Kinery in Washington at ekinery@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Max Berley

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