Democratic vice presidential candidates

Joseph R. Biden Jr.

The pitch
The Delaware senator who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has the foreign policy gravitas that Obama lacks. He did rather well during the Democratic debates, and his wit would come in handy if asked to attack the Republican ticket.

The downside
His home state offers few electoral votes, he has a reputation for straying off message, and he might be too tied to Washington when Obama is casting himself as an outside change agent.
(George Rizer/Globe Staff)
Joseph R. Biden Jr. The pitch The Delaware senator who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has the foreign policy gravitas that Obama lacks. He did rather well during the Democratic debates, and his wit would come in handy if asked to attack the Republican ticket. The downside His home state offers few electoral votes, he has a reputation for straying off message, and he might be too tied to Washington when Obama is casting himself as an outside change agent.