Joe Biden is about to make one of the most important decisions in his campaign for the United States presidency.
This month, the presumptive Democratic nominee and the man who served as US vice president for eight years is set to announce his own choice for a number two.
Some US media reports say the decision will come in the week commencing 10 August, while others say it could be in a matter of days.
Mr Biden has already committed to a female vice presidential candidate and a number of prominent American women are reportedly on his shortlist.
The former VP's age (77, or 78 at the time of his possible inauguration next year) and the fact he's described himself as a "transitional" leader, means the decision is being closely watched.
"For me, he's not just picking a vice president, he's potentially picking the first female president of the US," Kim Hoggard, a non-resident fellow at the University of Sydney's US Studies Centre, told SBS News.
Here are some of those said to be in the running.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee. Source: Getty
"Everyone is talking about Kamala Harris. She's still the number one choice in pundit-world," Ms Hoggard said.
Speculation around Ms Harris went into overdrive last week after Mr Biden was photographed holding handwritten notes about her.
"Talented ... Great help to campaign ... Great respect for her," the notes read.
Ms Harris - the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants - worked as San Francisco's district attorney and California's attorney general before entering the US senate.
The notes of Joe Biden referencing Kamala Harris. Source: AAP
Her website says she is "the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American senator in history".
Ms Harris also ran to be the Democratic presidential nominee in 2020 but dropped out early in the race.
In one of the more memorable moments of the Democratic primaries, she attacked Mr Biden's past positions on racial segregation during a debate. But Mr Biden's notes suggest all has been forgiven. "Do not hold grudges," one bullet point read.
Susan Rice
Susan Rice served in the Obama administration. Source: Getty
Ms Rice was US ambassador to the United Nations under former president Barack Obama before serving as his national security advisor. During those years, she worked closely with Mr Biden and the pair are understood to have a good relationship.
"Her vast foreign policy experience could be very useful to Joe Biden when he has all these domestic issues to deal with," Ms Hoggard said. "[But] she comes with a bit of baggage."
Ms Rice is known for initially mischaracterising some of the facts around the 2012 attack on US facilities in the Libyan city of Benghazi. Although her assessment of events was based on a flawed CIA assessment, Republicans slammed her for years and it was seen as a reason she never became Mr Obama's secretary of state.
"[Also], the problem for Biden – and for Rice – is he doesn't want to appear as just Obama 2.0," Ms Hoggard said.
Elizabeth Warren
The Massachusetts senator also ran in the Democratic primaries and was at one point the frontrunner.
Ms Warren worked in academia for decades but was given a national profile by Mr Obama after the financial crisis of 2007–08. She served as chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel of the Troubled Asset Relief Program and helped establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Her consumer protection advocacy and progressive policy proposals have made her a superstar of the Left.
Karen Bass
Karen Bass in Washington, DC. Source: AAP
Ms Bass is a progressive who has spearheaded the legislative response in the US House of Representatives to the killing of George Floyd by police.
"She has an impressive reputation for being a progressive without burning bridges on the other side of the aisle," Ms Hoggard said.
"Many Republicans have commended [Ms Bass] for her ability to listen and be a fair negotiator ... And one of the biggest problems in Washington over the past few decades has been the division in Congress that has led to voters being so dissatisfied with Washington and the way it works."
Val Demings
Val Demings in US Congress. Source: Getty
Cue Val Demings.
Ms Demings worked at the Orlando Police Department for 27 years, serving as police chief from 2007 to 2011. In 2016, she was elected to the US House of Representatives.
Ms Demings' profile rose dramatically when she was asked to serve as an impeachment manager in the senate trial of US President Donald Trump last year.
Since the anti-racism protests erupted, Ms Demings has spoken out about the urgent need for police reform.
Can the choice affect the election result?
While Mr Biden's VP choice could matter in the long term, it's unclear if it will impact the 3 November election.
"Rarely has any election been decided because of a VP pick," said CNN polling guru Harry Enten.
"That said, they can in a number of situations."
"First, if Biden was to select someone from a swing state, it could boost him there by a couple of points."
"Second, we do know that picks can matter if voters believe the pick is not experienced enough to become president ... You could see that really mattering this time around given that Biden is older and that we're in the middle of a pandemic."
Political scientist Seth Masket of the University of Denver said there is another way Mr Biden's VP candidate could affect the dynamics of the campaign.
Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event. Source: AAP
"Donald Trump has had some difficulty attacking Biden during the campaign, trying to label the older moderate as some sort of closet radical," he said.
"Trump has a lot more experience attacking women and people of colour, and he's probably looking forward to going after Biden's VP selection."
While Julia Azari, a political scientist at Marquette University in the swing state of Wisconsin, had a warning.
"A bad pick can be a problem for a ticket, mostly because it reflects poorly on the judgment of the presidential candidate," she said.
Biden up, but 'not a done deal'
Entering the latter part of the 2020 election campaign, CNN's Mr Enten said Mr Biden is the man to beat.
"[He's] in the best position for a challenger since at least Bill Clinton in 1992," he said.
According to the latest polling average by RealClearPolitics, Mr Biden leads Mr Trump by more than eight points nationally.
"But the race is not over. Polls before the conventions [where a party's nominee is officially chosen] historically are not predictive enough to describe this as anything close to a done deal," Mr Enten said.
"There are a number of unknowns in this election, such as we don't know where the coronavirus will end up by the time voting begins."
A protest in New York last month. Source: Getty
It was a point echoed by Ms Azari.
"Biden would seem like the favourite for the election because things are so challenging here - the pandemic is not under control and the economy is not good," she said.
"But 2016 was a surprise."
