WASHINGTON - Delaware Sen. Joe Biden emerged as Barack Obama’s likely choice for vice presidential running mate on the Democratic ticket Friday night as other contenders slowly fell away in a suspenseful day and night.

Biden, who has twice run for president, remained out of public view. Obama’s campaign said it would have no announcement until a text message planned for early today, but did nothing to squelch the growing speculation.

The 65-year-old senator became the focus as Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine spread word he had been ruled out and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana was told he was not Obama’s choice.

Several aides to former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton - who was Obama’s closest rival for the presidential nomination - said they believed she was out of contention. They added the Obama campaign had never requested financial or other records from her, the typical first step toward a nomination.

Among those who had made the short list, Biden brought the most experience in defense or foreign policy - areas in which Obama is rated relatively poorly in the polls compared with Republican Sen. John McCain. Biden, 65, was elected to the Senate at the age of 29 in 1973.

Biden spent the day at his home in Delaware with friends and family. The normally loquacious lawmaker maintained a low profile as associates said they believed - but did not know - he would be tapped. They added they had been asked to stand by in case their help was needed.

Additionally, several associates of Obama - including some at his campaign headquarters in Chicago - said they believed Biden was the choice, though they cautioned they had not been told directly.

Three days before the party gathers in Denver to nominate Obama for the fall campaign, several officials were saying Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, whose district includes President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, had made the roster of potential running mates.

Edwards told The in Waco, “I have had interactions with the Obama campaign over the last several months but I will not get into details.”

The idea of Edwards being chosen as a VP candidate is not new and has been something Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has floated for quite some time, said Sam Murphey, Democratic candidate for Texas House District 55 and former district director for Edwards.

Edwards, chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, is a nine-term moderate Democrat representing the GOP-leaning Texas district. He is well-known in Texas but does not have a national profile.

He would be a terrific vice presidential candidate, Murphey said, adding that he had “no insider information.”

“This is a guy who has great credentials with the military and the veterans community,” he said. “He has been very supportive of Fort Hood, our soldiers and their families, and was instrumental in keeping the Waco VA open,” Murphey said.

With all of that going for him, Edwards would be a wonderful addition to the Obama ticket, Murphey said.

“It would be great for Central Texas,” he said.

From 1991 to 2005, Edwards represented the 11th District, which included Bell and surrounding counties. Redistricting in 2003 renumbered Edwards’ district to the 17th and moved it further north, eliminating Bell County.

Arthur Resa, chairman of the Bell County Democratic Party, said people in the county - both Republicans and Democrats - are “very familiar” with Edwards.

“I think he’d make a great choice,” Resa said.

“But, we’d hate to lose him,” Resa said, adding that even though Edwards no longer represents Bell County, he’s done a lot for the area.

Obama told reporters on Thursday he’s already made his choice, and aides have used the prospect of a text-message announcement to try to attract additional supporters by soliciting their cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

The Illinois senator has arranged a joint appearance today with his running mate at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill.

“Obviously, the most important question is: Is this person ready to be president?” Obama told “The Early Show” on CBS. Second, he said, was: “Can this person help me govern? Are they going to be an effective partner in creating the kind of economic opportunity here at home and guiding us through some dangerous waters internationally?”

And, he added: “I want somebody who is going to be able to challenge my thinking and not simply be a ‘yes person’ when it comes to policymaking.”

The GOP convention begins Sept. 1 in St. Paul, Minn.

Telegram staff writer Janice Gibbs, and writers David Espo in Denver, Glen Johnson in Boston, Randall Chase in Greenville, Del.; Bob Lewis in Richmond, Va. Scott Lindlaw in San Francisco, Angela K. Brown in Waco, and Liz Sidoti, Nedra Pickler andJesse Holland in Washington contributed to this report. Pickler reported from Chicago.