Obama expected to name Biden as running mate

By Caren Bohan

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has chosen veteran Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, a leading voice on international affairs, as his vice presidential running mate, U.S. media reported on Saturday.

There was no official confirmation of the reports from the Obama camp but, breaking days of suspense, the candidate was expected to unveil his decision through a text message and e-mail to supporters on Saturday morning.

CNN, citing several unnamed sources in the Democratic Party, said the pick was Biden, the 65-year-old chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Other U.S. media reported Obama had settled on Biden.

Biden, a Roman Catholic originally from the battleground state of Pennsylvania, would bring not only foreign policy expertise to the ticket but strong working-class roots.

That could help Obama connect with the blue-collar voters he has failed to attract in the run-up to the Nov. 4 election against Republican John McCain. Obama and McCain are neck and neck in opinion polls.

Obama, 47, a first-term Illinois senator, has been criticized by McCain as lacking in foreign policy seasoning.

The choice of Biden, who has served in the Senate since 1972, indicated Obama had put more emphasis on filling that gap in the ticket than on finding someone who would reinforce his message of bringing change to Washington.

The Delaware senator emerged as a strong possibility after three other contenders -- Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton -- reportedly were told they had not been selected.