Democratic presidential hopefuls former US vice president Joe Biden (left) and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (right) take part in the 11th Democratic Party 2020 presidential debate in a CNN Washington Bureau studio in Washington, DC on March 15, 2020. (MANDEL NGAN / AFP)

WASHINGTON - US Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden, who had hinted he might choose a woman as his vice presidential running mate if he is picked as the party’s nominee, committed to doing so during his debate with rival Bernie Sanders on Sunday.

If I’m elected president, my Cabinet, my administration, will look like the country, and I commit that I will in fact appoint and pick a woman as vice president. There are a number of women who are qualified to be president tomorrow.

Joe Biden, US Democratic presidential contender

“If I’m elected president, my Cabinet, my administration, will look like the country, and I commit that I will in fact appoint and pick a woman as vice president. There are a number of women who are qualified to be president tomorrow. I would pick a woman as my vice president,” Biden said.

There were originally a record-breaking six women vying for the Democratic nomination to take on Republican President Donald Trump in November - US Senators Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, along with US Representative Tulsi Gabbard and Marianne Williamson.

Only Gabbard remains in the race, although she is polling below 5 percent nationally and was not eligible to participate in the debate.

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Sanders said that “in all likelihood,” he would choose a woman as his running mate, but did not make as firm a commitment.

“In all likelihood, I will. To me, it’s not just nominating a woman, it is making sure that we have a progressive woman, and there are progressive women out there. So my very strong tendency is to move in that direction,” Sanders said.

The debate came two days before Tuesday’s nominating contests in the big states of Ohio, Illinois, Florida and Arizona, where another string of Biden victories would give him a nearly unassailable lead in delegates over Sanders.

At the debate, both candidates also blasted Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak and offered competing visions of leadership during a widening crisis that has upended the daily lives of Americans.

In their first one-on-one debate, the two Democratic contenders clashed on the proper approach to the pandemic and other pressing issues, with Biden arguing his approach to leadership would get quick results and Sanders pushing for bigger, more fundamental changes.

They assailed Trump for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak, saying he had contributed to growing worries by spending weeks minimizing the threat before declaring a national emergency on Friday.

The debate, originally scheduled for Phoenix, took place in a Washington studio with no audience, a move made to limit possible exposure to the virus - a sign of how deeply the campaign routine has been reshaped by the global pandemic.

When the two candidates took the stage, they smiled and shared an elbow bump - abiding by the advice of public health officials to avoid handshakes.

‘Like a war’

Biden recounted his experience as vice president in President Barack Obama’s administration in dealing with the Ebola outbreak in 2014. He laid out a coronavirus plan to make testing free and widely available, establish mobile sites and drive-through facilities in each state and provide more help for small businesses hurt by the resulting economic slowdown.

He said he was willing to call out the military to help local officials build hospitals and take other necessary relief steps.

“This is like a war, and in a war you do whatever needs to be done to take care of your people,” Biden said.

Sanders suggested the first step in responding to the outbreak would be “to shut this president up right now” because he was undermining the response of public health officials.

“We have got to learn that you cannot lie to the American people. You cannot be less than frank about the nature of the crisis,” Sanders said, adding the crisis showed the need for his signature Medicare for All healthcare proposal, which would replace private health insurance with a government-run system.

“Let’s be honest and understand that this coronavirus pandemic exposes the incredible weakness and dysfunctionality of our current healthcare system,” he said.

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have been forced to cancel public events and step off the campaign trail during the coronavirus crisis

Biden has opposed the Medicare for All plan, saying it is too costly and he prefers to build on the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, by adding a public option for those who want it.

“That has nothing to do with the legitimate concern about income inequality in America. That’s real. But that does not affect the need for us to act swiftly and very thoroughly and in concert with all the forces we need to bring to bear,” he said.

Biden, 77, and Sanders, 78, have been forced to cancel public events and step off the campaign trail during the crisis. They said they were taking personal steps to stay healthy - avoiding crowds, washing hands and having their campaign staffs work from home.

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Both candidates promised to support the eventual nominee, and in a bitter exchange repeated criticism that has come up on the campaign trail before, with Sanders saying Biden was beholden to special interests and Biden accusing Sanders of being too supportive of the gun industry.

Earlier in the day, Biden’s campaign courted the progressive supporters of Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who dropped her White House bid earlier this month but has not endorsed anyone, by promising to back a Sanders plan to make public colleges tuition-free to families with incomes of less than US$125,000 a year.