Biden Won't Rule Out Having a Republican VP

Joe Biden says he's open to sharing the Democratic ticket with a Republican if he's nominated, but there's one problem: He can't think of a suitable one. A woman at an event in New Hampshire on Monday told Biden that her 21-year-old son was wondering if he would consider a Republican running mate, CNN reports. "The answer is I would, but I can't think of one now," Biden said. "You know there's some really decent Republicans that are out there still, but here's the problem right now ... they've got to step up."

Biden has said he would prefer a running mate "of color and/or a different gender" and hasn't ruled out former rival Kamala Harris or current rival Elizabeth Warren. "Whoever I would pick for vice president, and there's a lot of qualified women, there's a lot of qualified African-Americans. There really truly are," he said Monday. "There's a plethora of really qualified people." There hasn't been a president and vice president from different parties since the Civil War, although John McCain wanted Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman as his running mate in 2008, reports Reuters. Under pressure from his fellow Republicans, he chose Sarah Palin instead. (More Joe Biden 2020 stories.)