Joe Biden has narrowed down his list of candidates to be vice president and 4 Black women are in contention

• Democratic nominee Joe Biden has narrowed down his list of vice presidential candidates, and several Black women feature on it.
• According to the Washington Post, Sen. Kamala Harris, former national security adviser Susan Rice, Florida Rep. Val Demmings, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms are all on the shortlist.
• Among the candidates in contention are Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden has narrowed down his list of vice presidential candidates — and it features several Black women.

Sources close to Biden's campaign told the Washington Post that several candidates had now made it to the stage of comprehensive vetting to be Biden's potential running mate.

Among the names on the list are Sen. Kamala Harris of California, former national security adviser Susan Rice, Florida Rep. Val Demmings, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Mayor Bottoms is currently in the national spotlight, after the killing of a Black man by a white police officer in Atlanta on Friday night sparked a new wave of anti-racism protests.

All four women are African American.

Also on the list, according to the Post, is Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who's white, and Michelle Lujan Grisham, governor of New Mexico, who is Latina.

The Associated Press confirmed that the candidates named by the Post were all top contenders.

Biden currently leads President Donald Trump in national polls. Trump's faltering response to the coronavirus crisis and George Floyd anti-racism protests are believed by close aides to be behind a sharp dip in his support.

In contrast to Trump, who has backed tough crackdowns on the protests, Biden has expressed sympathy with their cause, and pledged a series of police reforms if elected to the White House.

His choice of running mate is a key to uniting Democrats, split between the party's centrist and progressive wings.

Biden, who himself served as vice president to Barack Obama, has previously said that he will pick a woman as his vice-presidential candidate.

The stock of one potential running mate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, has fallen in recent weeks. She came under criticism for failing to tackle police misconduct as a public prosecutor in the wake of the Floyd protests.

Sources on Biden's campaign told the AP that the process remains fluid. Other candidates may emerge and be asked to submit information as part of the extensive vetting process of potential running mates.