Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign and her running mate will embark on a marathon tour of swing states next week, suggesting that her pick will be named within the next few days.
The tour starts on Tuesday in Philadelphia and includes Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Detroit; Research Triangle, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; and Phoenix, before concluding in Las Vegas on Aug. 10.
The travel schedule suggests that Ms. Harris will name her running mate before the Democratic National Committee’s self-imposed Aug. 7 deadline for a virtual nomination ahead of the party’s national convention in Chicago later this month.
DNC officials said their rules call for the nominee, presumably Ms. Harris, to choose a vice president by the Aug. 7 deadline. The deadline was originally set to meet Ohio’s Aug. 7 ballot filing deadline but Ohio lawmakers moved the date to Sept. 1 to accommodate the Democratic National Convention, which opens Aug. 19. Democrats kept plans for a virtual nomination in place, claiming Republicans might try to contest the deadline extension.
Ms. Harris is spending this week considering her decision and perhaps conducting any final interviews, according to her campaign.
Democrats under consideration for Ms. Harris’ running mate are Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona; Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Andy Beshear of Kentucky; and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Each candidate has pros and cons that they would bring to the Democratic ticket.
Recent polls show that Ms. Harris has erased former President Donald Trump’s lead in several swing states. Mr. Trump had been consistently polling ahead of President Biden, 81, who suddenly dropped out of the race last month amid concerns about his mental acuity and electability.
A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released Tuesday found that 48% of swing state voters back Ms. Harris compared to 47% who say they support Trump.
The poll also showed that Ms. Harris has opened up an 11-point lead on Mr. Trump in Michigan, a 2-point lead in Nevada, a 2-point lead in Arizona, and a 2-point lead in Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump leads Mrs. Harris by 4 points in Pennsylvania and 2 points in North Carolina. The candidates were tied in Georgia at 47% each, according to the poll.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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