US media outlet accidentally says Kamala Harris picked running mate by Biden

WASHINGTON: A prominent American media outlet erroneously reported on Tuesday that Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris has been selected as the running mate by

former vice president

and

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden

.

Harris, 55, is among the frontrunners for vice presidential running mate of Biden for the November presidential elections. Biden, 77, is challenging Republican incumbent President Donald Trump, 74, this fall.

"Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris to become his running mate for the 2020 election on Aug. 1, two weeks before

the Democratic National Convention

, after keeping his choice close to the chest for months," Politico wrote about the potential Democratic ticket, according to Fox News.

Politico quickly withdrew the report from its website. "We regret the error and any confusion that it caused," Politico told Fox News, according to which the error was first noticed by Mark Bednar, spokesperson, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

“Huh? Politico labelled Sen. Kamala Harris as Biden's running mate... that he chose on August 1 (4 days from now)," Bednar tweeted.

In his announcement, Biden called Harris "a worthy opponent and a worthy running mate," alluding to the pair's rivalry during the earlier stages of the Democratic primary. She will bring her experience as a prosecutor, household name recognition and skill as a debater to the ticket," Politico said in its now deleted news report as per the tweet by Bednar.

Meanwhile, Biden told reporters that he would announce his running mate in the first week of August.

"I'm going to have a choice in the first week in August, and I promise I'll let you know when I do," he said in response to a question. Early this year in March, Biden had said he would name a woman as his running mate.

Along with Harris, the US media has been speculating about several Democratic leaders as his potential running mates. They being Senators

Elizabeth Warren

, and Tammy Duckworth; former national security advisor Susan Rice, and

Congresswomen Karen Bass

and

Val Demmings

.

Given his age, many in the Democratic party believe that if elected, Biden might not seek a second term. In that case his vice president would run the 2024 elections as the Democratic Party's nominee.