Washington - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has chosen veteran Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his pick to campaign alongside him as the vice presidential candidate, broadcaster CNN reported early Saturday citing two Democratic sources. Obama's campaign has yet to confirm the pick, which has been the hot topic of US media all week amid speculation of which of a handful of likely politicians would get the nod.
On Friday, broadcaster CNN even showed live shots of several of the candidates' homes in hopes of some sort of clue.
The official announcement was expected to come within hours. Obama was to notify supporters via text message, a move likely to come before an afternoon campaign stop Saturday in Springfield, Illinois, where the senator got his political start in the state house and launched his presidential bid last year.
The Democrats gather at their party convention in Denver, Colorado, beginning Monday to formally nominate Obama. Biden, if he is the vice president, is slated to speak Wednesday night.
Broadcaster NBC had earlier quoted campaign insiders as saying two top candidates, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, had been told they had not been chosen and attention had shifted primarily to Biden.
Biden, 65, is a longtime senator from Delaware and chairman of the upper house's Foreign Relations Committee. He is an old hand at international relations and will likely appeal to voters sceptical of Obama's foreign affairs credentials.
