Breaking down Biden's Top 4 VP picks with Karl Rove and Leslie Marshall

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, has promised to pick a female running mate by the beginning of August. His shortlist of possible names is currently being vetted by his campaign team.

Since the date for the Democratic National Convention has been moved to late August from its original date in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic, voters are likely to see whoever Biden picks up on stage with him for the event.

Fox News contributors Karl Rove and Leslie Marshall share their insights on four of Biden's potential VP picks.

“It’s all going to come down to Joe -- how does this help Joe, how does this hurt Joe, how does this compliment Joe and the chemistry,” says Marshall, a liberal commentator and Democratic strategist.

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Many political insiders believe Biden has to pick a woman of color to complement the ticket and to prove the Democratic party’s commitment to its message of diversity.

Marshall said, in her view, this could disqualify top contenders like Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

“You can’t stand there with a diverse nation, a diverse party and scream diversity and apologize for not having any minorities up on that stage. … I’m sorry you just can’t put Warren or Klobuchar up there and alienate that minority base that you have promised to speak for,” she said.

Marshall’s pick to join Biden would be Sen. Kamala Harris of California. Harris ran for the nomination herself in the primary but dropped out last December after failing to gain traction.

“She has a track record and I know some in the African-American community don’t like her when she was attorney general in my state. … but as a senator this is someone who can hit the ground running, she knows the game if you will,” she said.

Another contender, former Georgia state representative and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, has been publicly auditioning for the spot. Both Rove and Marshall were in agreement that this may not be the most strategic way of garnering support from team Biden.

“If he’s sort of impressed by the fact that Stacey Abrams says, 'I’d be a great vice president,' I’d worry about his judgment," said Rove, a Republican political consultant who worked under George W. Bush. "I think she’s on the list out of courtesy because she was such a rock star after the 2018 election. They gave her the premier spot to respond to State of the Union address, but I think some of the luster has worn off."

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Abrams endorsed Biden on May 12 and has appeared with him in virtual town halls and more, but Marshall said Abrams is the most visible contender when it comes to putting herself out there, something we haven't really seen before in previous election cycles.

“It’s almost like there’s a campaign she has started in some sense. … I don’t see the beating the chest and slapping one on the back from all the other candidates than I’ve seen from Stacey Abrams," said Marshall.

Yet Rove sees the strategy in picking someone like Warren or Klobuchar. Biden has adopted some of Warren’s policy proposals she ran on in the primary process, which could help bridge the moderate and progressive divide in the party. Klobuchar, Rove said, could also have that effect, in reverse.

“Amy Klobuchar has more of a middle-of-the-road approach. ... She would appeal more to the Republicans who voted Democrat in the 2018 midterms to send Trump a message," Rove said.

Rove, who was instrumental in vetting former President George W. Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney, said the process can never start too early, nor can any vetting be too thorough. He harkened back to 2008 when John McCain picked then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

“[She] had the thinnest of vetting and it was really done at the last minute,” said Rove.

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For Biden, potential contenders have even asked for their names to be withdrawn from the process citing a whole host of reasons. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada asked to be taken off the shortlist so she can focus on her state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

All eyes will be on the crucial pick come this summer, and not for just this reason alone. Marshall thinks Biden will only serve one term if elected.

“If so, his selection for VP is really a selection for perhaps, the next potential president of the United States and Democrats want to check the box that we put the first president in the White House, not Republicans," Marshall noted.