Kamala Harris’ vetting team has met privately with two of the top contenders to be her running mate, Josh Shapiro and Mark Kelly, according to reports.
With the clock ticking down on the much-anticipated decision by the presumptive Democratic White House hopeful, the only other runner left in the race to be her VP is another state governor, Minnesota’s Tim Waltz.
Harris’ aides have gone to great lengths to insist that nothing should be read into the meetings, nor into the location of the venue for the first public appearance for the full presidential ticket next Tuesday—in Philadelphia. They say the vice president has yet to button down her pick.
But leaks about the private meetings tend to suggest that the race is in the final straight.
One clue nobody is denying is that Harris is looking for a “governing” partner, someone ready to lead right out of the blocks, which leaves all three state governors still in the frame.
Shapiro, the Pennsylvania governor, saw his odds shorten with the news that Harris’ first appearance with her running mate will be at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday. He’s very much on board with the Harris campaign and has been lobbying for her exhaustively around the state. It might also seem a little rude to hold another candidate’s welcoming party on his doorstep.
Kelly is governor of another swing state, with Arizona a coveted prize for the Democrats. But, according to Bloomberg, labor groups aren’t enamored with him as a No. 2, complaining that he isn’t supportive enough of the trade union movement. With Harris keen to draw in Biden’s union support, that could be an issue.
Politico, which reported that Harris’ vetting team had met with Shapiro and Kelly, wrote that Harris intended to sit down herself with the finalists and that just because the two governors had moved forward in the process doesn’t mean it’s a done deal.
Harris is refusing to be rushed, knowing that the result of the 2024 presidential election race could well hang on her finding the right partner.
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