WASHINGTON (AP) — The dates are set. The venues are chosen. The only thing missing from this week’s campaign blitz with Vice President Kamala Harris and her 2024 running mate is the name of the running mate.
After a weekend spent interviewing finalists, Harris must decide on her wingman before the two set off Tuesday on a tour across key battleground states where they will introduce the new Democratic ticket to voters and highlight the stakes of the election.
Everything about her campaign has been rapid-fire out of necessity. She’s only been a candidate for a little over two weeks, since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race following a dismal debate performance and escalating calls within the Democratic party for him to step aside. The Democratic National Committee chair said on Friday that Harris had already secured enough votes to become the party’s nominee and will accept the nomination Monday night when voting ends.
And about 8 in 10 Democrats say they would be somewhat or very satisfied if Harris became the Democratic nominee for president, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was conducted after Biden withdrew from the race.
Harris has had to do condensed vetting of her potential running mates as the party’s convention draws near. That means there’s not much time left for advocates for and against different picks get in their final licks.
Harris was zeroing in on three running mate contenders, whom she interviewed Sunday in Washington. They were Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to a person familiar with the process who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations. Three other men have been in the mix: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Some congressional Democrats have promoted Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut whose state has more than 370 miles or 600 kilometers of border with Mexico. They say his selection could help defuse Trump’s arguments that the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies are too relaxed.
Shapiro has prominent supporters, too, like Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker. She caused a stir by posting a video Friday depicting several Philadelphia-area officials and Democrats promoting Harris, but also playing up Shapiro as her running mate. A person familiar with the mayor’s thinking said she had no insider knowledge about Harris’ intentions.
When asked about the veepstakes Monday, Shapiro said he had no information.
“I got nothing for you, man,” he told an Associated Press reporter as he arrived at the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg. “Have a great day.”
Both Kelly and Shapiro have seen their detractors become more vocal as Harris closes in on a decision.
Walz is in his second term as governor of Minnesota. He has made his state a bastion of liberal policy and, this year, one of the few states to protect fans buying tickets online for Taylor Swift concerts and other live events. He comes from rural America and in his first race for Congress, Walz upset a Republican incumbent.
Harris and her running mate — whoever that is — will launch Tuesday into an aggressive, seven-state battleground tour that begins in Philadelphia on Tuesday and winds through Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. Her early rallies have attracted enthusiastic thousands. Campaign officials say each stop will be loaded with local election officials, religious leaders, union members and more in an effort to show the diversity of her coalition. Some Republicans will also appear with her, according to the campaign.
The campaign this week launched “Republicans for Harris.” The program will be a “campaign within a campaign,” according to Harris’ team, using well-known Republicans to activate their networks, with a particular emphasis on primary voters who backed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Campaign officials are aware that momentum can be fleeting and are working to capitalize on the energy now, while managing expectations by continuing to emphasize that the race with Republican nominee Donald Trump is tight. But the strong rollout has allowed the Harris campaign to put a number of states back in play that had been feared out of reach when Biden remained at the top of the ticket.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, told Fox News on Sunday that Harris’ pick doesn’t matter to him. “Whoever she chooses, the problem is going to be Kamala Harris’ record and Kamala Harris’ policies,” he said, adding “it’s not going to be good for the country.”
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Associated Press Writer Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pa. contributed to this report.
