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Biden may name running mate this week -source

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden could announce his running mate this week.

That's according to a Reuters source familiar with the campaign's vetting process, who says Biden has finished interviewing all the candidates.

The New York Times reported earlier on Monday that Biden's campaign plans to announce a decision as soon as Tuesday (August 11), but more likely on Wednesday (August 12).

A Biden campaign spokesman declined to comment.

Biden, the former vice president under Barack Obama, has committed to picking a woman as his running mate and has come under increasing pressure from some Democratic leaders and activists for her to be African American.

Among the top contenders, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris of California and former national security adviser Susan Rice.

According to Democratic officials and Biden allies half a dozen other women are under serious contention, including California Representative Karen Bass, senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth, Florida Representative Val Demings, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Biden's choice, the most weighty of his political career, has drawn an unusual amount of attention given his age.

If he defeats Trump, he would be 78 on inauguration day, the oldest U.S. president in history.

It is possible he may only seek one four-year term, teeing up the vice president for the highest office in just a few years.

Biden and his potential vice president will formally accept the party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention next week.