And why one’s facing criticism from other Democrats.
Presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is inching closer to making her long-awaited pick for vice president. On Sunday, she reportedly met with at least three leading contenders: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
In an interview with The New York Times, an unnamed source described these interviews as a “chemistry test.” (In addition to electability, Harris’s allies say the Democratic nominee wants to ensure she has a strong rapport with her running mate.)
So far, it’s unclear whether Harris planned to meet with other vice presidential candidates or if she already had one-on-one interviews with them. But we know that it’s an exhaustive process: Each potential VP must undergo extensive vetting, during which lawyers and campaign officials dig up every grain of dirt they can find on the candidate. In order to be taken seriously, they must first answer up to 200 questions, like whether they’ve ever paid for sex or an abortion.
With a decision expected this week, we examined when to expect it and some of the finalists.
When will Kamala Harris announce her running mate?
Harris is expected to announce her running mate on Tuesday in Philadelphia, where she will hold a campaign rally. For those who won’t be there, her campaign is planning to notify supporters of her decision via text message. And this is a real full-circle moment for Harris — this is the same way President Biden informed the public that Harris would be his running mate four years ago.
The Finalists for Harris’s Running Mate
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is the betting favorite to be No. 2. With a 60 percent approval rating, Shapiro is one of the nation’s most popular governors. He has also proven that he can win in a critical swing state, having won statewide office three times — twice as state attorney general and once as governor.
But the Pennslyvania governor has faced criticism from the left. Though some argue that his views about the Israel-Hamas war are about the same as the other Democrats up for the job, pro-Palestinian activists have criticized him over his support for Israel and his handling of college protests over the war in Gaza. The Philadelphia Inquirer also reported that when he was a student at the University of Rochester, he wrote an op-ed saying that he believed peace “will never come” to the Middle East. In response to that story being resurfaced, he told reporters that the column doesn’t represent his views today: “I was 20.”
Meanwhile, rivals like Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman have voiced concern about Shapiro — the senator’s advisers privately told Harris’s team that the VP hopeful is too driven by his personal ambitions. On top of all this, the National Women’s Defense League urged Harris to drop Shapiro from consideration over his handling of a sexual harassment case. Last year, his administration paid nearly $300,000 to settle a sexual harassment claim against one of his longtime aides, which involved a non-disclosure agreement. “We deserve leaders who will not brush sexual harassment under the rug but will put accountability above politics,” the organization wrote in a statement.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is still considered a relatively new face, even though he’s currently in his second term as governor. First elected in 2006, Walz previously served in Congress for 12 years before winning the gubernatorial race in 2018.
He has since gained national attention for his media appearances, particularly when he called former President Trump and JD Vance “weird,” which has gone viral on social media.
Progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Pramila Jayapal have rallied around Walz because of his track record of backing labor unions and working families. As governor, he has also enacted a range of progressive policies, including protecting abortion access, restricting gun access, and expanding paid family leave.
However, an unnamed former Senate adviser to Harris told The Hill that Walz might be a “little too progressive” for independent voters.
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is not only a former astronaut and Navy pilot, but also the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, whose own promising political career was cut short by an assassination attempt in 2011.
Kelly was first elected to the U.S. Senate in a 2020 special election to fill the seat vacated by the death of the late Sen. John McCain. Together, Kelly and Biden flipped the state blue for the first time since 1996. Two years later, he won reelection by defeating Trump-backed Republican Blake Masters.
Though Kelly may not have as much political experience as the other top contenders, some believe he could help Harris with a particularly challenging issue for the party: immigration. In June, he was the only Senate Democrat to stand alongside Biden as he announced a new executive order aimed at limiting the number of asylum seekers at the southern border. Now, some strategists believe his hawkish stance could help win over some independent and even conservative voters.
“He has a record that can really protect against a withering, brutal assault on the border,” GOP political operative Mike Madrid told The Washington Post.
Who else is being considered?
In addition to the three finalists above, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are also under consideration.
Harris’s campaign will likely notify the winner by Monday night or Tuesday morning. Whoever she chooses will join her for a cross-country tour of the battleground states, which kicks off with the rally in Pennsylvania. Other stops include Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.
