There’s been a lot of attention on how the coronavirus pandemic has altered the 2020 presidential campaign. The conventions will be mostly virtual. The debates will be different, too. The first debate was moved today, from Notre Dame to Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University, and the hosts announced that the event may not include an audience.

But the ongoing Covid crisis has also changed the calculus for Joe Biden’s next decision: his running mate.

In conversations about the process with plugged-in Democrats, four big issues came up for how the virus changed the veepstakes.

First, the pandemic could make it easier for Biden to choose someone who doesn’t have traditional campaign experience. Susan Rice, Barack Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations and then national security adviser, has emerged as a serious possibility. She has never run for office before, and some Democrats argue that a more seasoned political communicator is necessary.

But that major drawback might be less detrimental this year, some Democrats argue, when a virtual campaign will demand political skills that are more like a film actor’s than a stage actor’s.

As one former government official who worked with Rice in the Obama administration said, “She has no campaign experience but there’s no campaign!”

Second, the virus has raised the profile of a number of Democratic governors. Being a governor was once seen as the best stepping stone to the presidency, but they haven’t been faring as well since George W. Bush left the Oval Office. The pandemic has offered Biden a chance to observe a real-time test of the leadership skills of several governors, including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island, and Michelle Luján Grisham of New Mexico.

All three women have been praised for their response. One adviser to the Biden campaign who has been consulted about several potential candidates told me, “Gretchen Whitmer may be more of a possibility than people think.”

The risk, several Democrats noted, is that these governors are still battling the virus. “They have all been pressure-tested in real time,” said a Democratic strategist who was previously involved in the vice presidential selection process. “But is it an advantage or disadvantage to be a governor? What if something goes wrong in the next few months?”

Third, it’s harder for Biden to get to know the contenders. As Biden whittles down his list and conducts one-on-one interviews, the pandemic means he will have to decide whether he can afford the health risk of conducting the sessions in person or if they will have to be conducted via video. This is no small concern for someone like Biden, who doesn’t have deep relationships with most of the candidates, and who prizes personal relationships that are forged in one-on-one settings. “He’s a guy for whom his instincts and chemistry will matter more than most,” said the Democratic strategist. But it’s hard to bond over Zoom.

Finally, and perhaps most important, Biden knows that if he’s elected president the pandemic will consume his transition and first months in office. This means that he’ll want someone that he knows is prepared to meet that specific challenge with him. He is said to want someone who is loyal and willing to own politically fraught decisions, not someone preparing her presidential campaign.

The Biden adviser noted that when it comes to confronting the pandemic, as well as the multiple other crises that will be swirling around a Biden presidency, trust will be the key issue: “When the tough decisions are made, would she be too preoccupied with 2024?”

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition. Renu is on the move, but her inbox is still right here. She’ll be back Wednesday. Reach out عنوان البريد الإلكتروني هذا محمي من روبوتات السبام. يجب عليك تفعيل الجافاسكربت لرؤيته. or on Twitter at @renurayasam.

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