Kerry expected to announce running mate

US presidential candidate John Kerry was today expected to announce his choice of running mate to take on George Bush and the Republicans for control of The White House.

Senator Kerry said yesterday that he had not settled on a vice-presidential candidate for the November elections but Democratic Party leaders said they were told to expect a decision today.

Last week John Edwards, who became the Massachusetts senator’s main rival for the Democratic nomination, interrupted a family holiday to meet Mr Kerry, adding a new level of intrigue to the vice-presidential search.

Mr Kerry must select a vice-presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention, which begins in Boston on July 26. Delegates will then be asked to formally nominate his choice.

Yesterday he told a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: “I’ve made no decision at this point in time, and I’m going to continue to keep it a private and personal process until I announce it publicly.”

Since the search began in March, Mr Kerry’s staff has disclosed almost nothing about his list of candidates, their interviews and his selection process.

Mr Edwards, a senator from North Carolina, outlasted all but Mr Kerry in the Democratic primary fight and is the favourite of many party regulars.

Two officials close to the Kerry campaign said Mr Edwards flew from Florida to Washington on Thursday to meet secretly with Mr Kerry.

But the warned against reading too much into the meeting because he is not the only potential vice-presidential candidate who has covertly met with Mr Kerry.

The presidential candidate also has given serious consideration to Congressman Dick Gephardt of Missouri, Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa and Senator Bob Graham of Florida.

He has not discussed his short or long lists, but that has not stopped speculation about a long line of Democrats, including retired Army General Wesley Clark, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana and Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.

The Kerry campaign has a staff of more than a dozen standing ready to serve the vice-presidential nominee.

The focus of last-minute speculation, Mr Edwards is the favourite of many Democratic activists because of his youthful good looks, a self-assured manner and a message that focused on President Bush’s “two Americas” – one for the wealthy and another for everybody else.

Others express concern that Mr Edwards, 51, whose only political credential is a single term in the Senate, lacks the experience in international affairs, particularly in wartime, to be a credible candidate to assume the presidency in the case of death, resignation or removal.