US Vice President Kamala Harris interviewed three top candidates — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, US Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro — at her Washington residence on Sunday ahead of a final decision on her running mate.
Harris was expected to announce her choice as early as yesterday, ahead of her first public appearance with the vice presidential nominee today in Philadelphia.
The Harris campaign is also planning a social media announcement featuring the duo, officials familiar with the arrangements said.
Photo: Reuters
Harris met with her vetting team on Saturday, including former US attorney general Eric Holder, whose law firm Covington & Burling scrutinized the finances and background of potential running mates. Holder and his office made in-depth presentations on each of the finalists, sources familiar with the process said.
Harris met US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for 90 minutes on Friday and was also meeting candidates online, the sources said.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker are the other candidates in contention for the job.
The candidates were to be informed last night or this morning whether they were picked, the sources said.
The choice of a running mate is one of the most consequential decisions of Harris’ political career, as she hastily pulls together a campaign to challenge former US president Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election after US President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month.
Her shortlist includes all white men with a record of winning over rural, white or independent voters.
Harris’ decision also influences the future direction of the Democratic Party, elevating the chosen candidate to the front of the line for future presidential contests.
Shapiro, one of the top contenders, has faced sharp criticism from the left of the party, especially progressive groups and pro-Palestinian activists, over his support for Israel and his handling of college protests sparked by the war in Gaza.
“There must be a policy correction on Gaza and there must be a pro-working class policy agenda, including a black agenda,” said Nina Turner, cochair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign and a fellow at The Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, a progressive research group. “Picking Governor Shapiro as a running mate risks closing that door.”
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