Sens. Kamala Harris (CA) and Elizabeth Warren (MA) have emerged as the two most-likely choices to be a running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to Politico, with Harris seen as having a slight edge inside the Biden war room:

“Biden’s campaign has formally started vetting a group of prospects that includes roughly a dozen women. But in interviews, more than two dozen Democrats, including advisers, allies and donors aligned with Biden, returned to Harris as an early frontrunner. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the favorite among progressives, was also seen as rising above the pack.”

The emergence of Harris has surprised some pundits due to the fact that the California senator slammed Biden for his position on busing during an early Democratic debate. But in the months since that verbal dust-up, the Biden camp has been sending subtle hints that there are no hard feelings:

“Biden and others close to him have come to view Harris’ debate knockdown as part of the rough and tumble of presidential campaigning.

Even before Harris ended her own campaign last year, aides said she and Biden were already stealing warm moments together. And friends of former second lady Jill Biden — who as recently as March described Harris’ attack as a ‘punch to the gut’ — said they’ve mulled ways for her to telegraph that it wasn’t a deal breaker for the California senator’s chances, perhaps by sharing her posts on social media.”

However, while Harris may be the most frequently mentioned name in recent weeks, Warren is seen as someone who could energize the progressive wing of the party:

“Warren’s supporters are pitching her inside Biden’s camp as a governing choice who could unite the party by exciting liberals and younger voters while bringing to bear her skills as a small-dollar fundraiser. Harris’ allies and donors point to her comparative youth, her ability to energize voters of color in key states and what they believe would be a seamless rapport between her and Biden, with little ideological daylight.”

There seems to be no set timeline for when Biden will announcing his running mate, but at the moment, Harris and Warren are the names seen as the the favorites to be on the ticket with him.

Featured Image Via CNN