Former Vice President Joe Biden committed on Sunday to selecting a female running mate to round off the party’s ticket if he secures the Democratic nomination.

"I commit that I will, in fact, pick a woman to be vice president,” Biden said during the 11th Democratic debate, which took place from Washington D.C. “There are a number of women qualified to be president tomorrow. I would pick a woman to be my vice president."

Biden’s pledge to prioritize gender diversity on the Democratic ticket comes as he has amassed a considerable delegate lead against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), making the idea of picking a VP less theoretical and more of an impending reality.  

Asked by CNN moderator Dana Bash the same question, Sanders did not make the same commitment, but said “in all likelihood, I will.”

In addition to pledging to pick a female candidate as his running mate, Biden also said he would pick a black woman as his Supreme Court nominee, saying that the nation’s highest chamber needed better representation on the bench.