After last Tuesday, Joe Biden is on a glide path to the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Although Congressman James Clyburn has asked the Democratic National Committee to shut down the race so the Democratic Party can unify for the battle against Trump, that request will be ignored.

But a controversy bubbling beneath the political surface is which woman (a forgone conclusion) will Biden select to join his ticket as Vice President - 2018 Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Stacey Abrams; Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL); Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), or Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) - the most prominently mentioned. This is the next big test for Biden.

Depending on whom he chooses, he and the Party could take some flak. Biden has debts to pay to the black community, especially African American women, who powered his Lazarus-like rise from the political dead in South Carolina then through Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia on Super Tuesday, the date of his resurrection. Without them, he would be in his political grave.

The question is who will be Biden’s choice? Kamala Harris was one of the first names out of the gate since she was a candidate for president, followed by Val Demings to whom Dr. Jill Biden gave a public stroke during her keynote address at the LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus Conference in Orlando, Florida (Demings’ hometown) - a state Joe Biden needs to carry to win.

The problem is that not all black women are politically equal. Val Demings is little known except for her sterling performance as one of the House managers in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Kamala Harris was running fourth, at 8 percent, in a September 2019 poll in her home state. She trailed Elizabeth Warren (23 percent), Joe Biden (22 percent), and Bernie Sanders (21 percent). Less than three months later, she abandoned the race.

Given these realities, the most viable black female candidate for Biden’s VP appears to be Stacey Abrams who exemplifies the values of Ms. Emily, James Clyburn’s late wife, whom he said, was the primary reason he gave such a ringing endorsement of Joe Biden, the Wednesday before the Saturday South Carolina primary. Abrams, like Ms. Emily, is a fighter, has been on the front lines for social justice, and has broad national appeal across racial and class lines.

American females have long been overlooked for serious consideration for President or Vice President of the United States. When Sen. Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME) announced for President on January 27, 1964, it was considered a joke. A similar reaction was given Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (D-NY), an African American, when she launched her candidacy in 1972.

Former Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale chose Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro (D-NY) to be his running mate for his 1984 presidential bid. Congresswoman Pat Schroeder (D-CO) briefly ran for the Democratic 1988 presidential nomination after former Sen. Gary Hart, whose campaign she was managing, dropped out amid his extramarital scandal. She withdrew a short time after her announcement.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) chose Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) as his VP mate in 2008, and former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-NY) was the first female to lead a presidential ticket in 2016 though she lost a close election to Donald Trump. She mistakenly refused to campaign in Wisconsin and only to do so marginally in Michigan and Pennsylvania, all states she lost.

The current brouhaha by TV pundits over having a woman on the ticket overlooks the personal and political shortcomings of the previous female VP and presidential aspirants. Ferraro, while running as Mondale’s VP, was waylaid by her husband’s alleged mafia connections; Sarah Palin was incompetent; and Hillary Clinton was widely disliked by voters in both political parties, mostly for the sins of her husband, President Bill Clinton.

The issue is whether there will be a split across racial lines with white women demanding that Elizabeth Warren, or another, be the female VP standard bearer although she would add little to the ticket. The portion of the Democratic base that supported her has already gravitated toward Biden. And it never came out in large numbers to vote for her.

Biden may have to contend with pushback from both Warren and Bernie supporters. In the perfect political world, if not for her age, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a political and campaign genius, would be a great choice.

Whatever the case, it is imperative that Biden act soon. Since Bernie is probably going to stretch the race out until the end, Biden needs to make his VP decision now so that the Party can begin to pull together. Any prolonged delay will accrue to his disadvantage. Trump will pounce on this situation and attempt to encourage as much Democratic discord as possible.

In the interim, Biden has to eliminate his propensity to make gaffes and to being drawn into profane interactions with voters although Trump underlings will continue to bait him. This is a delicate period for the Biden campaign, and it must be addressed with the greatest of care.

Otherwise, Trump will derail the Biden political train and return to office to continue his efforts to get rid of democracy as we know it. Therefore, Democrats must overcome any intra-Party squabbles to keep their eyes on the goal of defeating Trump. Any internal disagreements must submit to this higher purpose.