Former Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday he would pick a woman to be his vice-presidential running mate.
“If I’m elected president, my Cabinet, my administration will look like the country, and I commit that I will, in fact, appoint a, pick a woman to be vice president,” Biden said at the CNN-Univision debate in Washington, DC.
Biden continued, “There are a number of women who are qualified to be president tomorrow. I would pick a woman to be my vice president.”
The comments come as Biden is seeing a surge in the presidential race over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and seeks to broaden his appeal and unify the Democratic Party.
Sanders said that “in all likelihood” he would pick a woman to be his vice president when pressed at the debate by CNN’s Dana Bash.
“For me, it’s not just nominating a woman,” Sanders said. “It is making sure that we have a progressive woman, and there are progressive women out there, so my very strong tendency is to move in that direction.”
A wide Democratic field that saw a record number of women running for President has narrowed in recent weeks to just three candidates: Biden, Sanders and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard has only won two delegates in the nominating contests and did not qualify for Sunday’s debate stage.