WASHINGTON (AP) — The dates are set. The venues are chosen. The only thing missing in this week’s election campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris and her 2024 vice presidential candidate is the name of the vice presidential candidate.
After spending a weekend interviewing the finalists, Harris must decide on a candidate before the two embark on a tour of key swing states on Tuesday, where they will introduce voters to the modern Democratic slate of candidates and highlight what is at stake in the election.
Everything about her campaign has been done in rapid-fire fashion, out of necessity. She has been a candidate for just over two weeks, since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race following a dismal debate performance and growing calls within the Democratic Party that he should quit. The chairman of the Democratic National Committee said Friday that Harris has already received enough votes to become the party’s nominee and will accept the nomination Monday night when voting closes.
And about eight in 10 Democrats say they would be somewhat or very satisfied if Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted after Biden dropped out of the race.
Harris had a very brief period of time to vet her potential candidates before the convention, meaning supporters and opponents of various candidates do not have much time to express their final opinion.
Harris had her sights set on three vice presidential candidates she interviewed in Washington on Sunday: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to a person familiar with the proceedings who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations. Three other men were in the running: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Walz is in his second term as governor of Minnesota. He has turned his state into a bastion of liberal politics and this year is one of the few states to protect fans who buy tickets online for Taylor Swift concerts and other live events. He comes from rural America and defeated a Republican incumbent in his first race for Congress.
Some Democrats in Congress have promoted Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut whose state has a more than 400-mile border with Mexico, saying his selection could aid undermine Trump’s arguments that the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies are too lax.
Shapiro also has prominent supporters, such as Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, who caused a stir when she released a video Friday in which several Philadelphia officials and Democrats campaigned for Harris but also portrayed Shapiro as her running mate. A person familiar with the mayor’s thinking said she had no inside knowledge of Harris’ intentions.
When asked about the vice presidential election on Monday, Shapiro said he had no information.
“I’ve got nothing for you, man,” he told an Associated Press reporter as he arrived at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. “Have a nice day.”
Both Kelly and Shapiro watched their critics grow louder as Harris moved closer to a decision.
Some unions have criticized Kelly for opposing a bill that they believe would strengthen the labor movement. The senator’s office responds that although he is not a co-signer of the bill, he has said he will vote for it.
The nonprofit Institute for Middle East Understanding has been outspoken about Shapiro, saying in a statement last week that he was not the right candidate for the post.
Shapiro has aggressively opposed what he sees as anti-Semitism at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and he has expressed solidarity with Israel’s efforts to eliminate Hamas as Israel battles militants in Gaza. But he has also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that any end to the war between Israel and Hamas requires the removal of Hamas from power.
Harris and her running mate – whoever that may be – will begin an aggressive tour of battleground states on Tuesday, starting in Philadelphia on Tuesday and heading through Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada later in the week. A planned stop in Savannah, Georgia, has been canceled due to the expected impact of Hurricane Debby.
Trump’s running mate JD Vance had almost the same campaign schedule as Harris: Philadelphia on Tuesday, Eau Claire (Wisconsin) and Detroit on Wednesday, and Raleigh (North Carolina) on Thursday.
On Sunday, he told Fox News he didn’t care about Harris’s election. “Whoever she chooses, the problem is going to be Kamala Harris’ record and Kamala Harris’ policies,” he said, adding, “That’s not going to be good for the country.”
Harris’ first rallies have drawn thousands of enthusiastic people. Campaign officials say local campaign workers, religious leaders, union members and more will be present at each stop to show the diversity of her coalition. Some Republicans will also appear with her, according to the campaign.
The campaign launched “Republicans for Harris” this week. The program, according to Harris’ team, will be a “campaign within a campaign” that uses well-known Republicans to activate their networks, with a particular focus on primary voters who supported former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Aware that momentum can quickly fade, campaign officials are trying to capitalize on the energy now, while tempering expectations by continuing to stress that the race with Republican nominee Donald Trump is close. But the sturdy campaign has allowed Harris to bring back into the race a number of states that were thought to be out of reach when Biden was at the top of the ballot.
___
Associated Press writer Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
