Harris narrows down list of running mates, decision imminent

Vice President Kamala Harris has whittled down her list of potential running mates and a decision is expected imminently, as she will reportedly tour battleground states with her pick as early as next week.

The Harris campaign has narrowed the list down from roughly a dozen candidates to five finalists. Each brings pros and cons to the ticket, but they all could appeal to key voting blocs across the country.

Democrats under consideration 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. 

Govs. Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan both announced this week that they are not in the running to be Ms. Harris’ running mate.

Ms. Harris is planning to travel to six battleground states with her running mate next week, according to media reports. The newly minted Democratic ticket is expected to hit the battleground states and travel through Friday, according to Reuters. 

The travel schedule suggests that Ms. Harris will name her running mate before Aug. 7. She would have made her selection by that date in order to meet an Ohio deadline requiring nominees to be certified within 90 days before Election Day to appear on the ballot.

Ms. Harris became the presumptive nominee just over a week ago, after 81-year-old President Biden bowed out of the race amid Democrats’ concerns that he couldn’t beat former President Donald Trump in November.

Ms. Harris is slated to appear at a campaign rally in Georgia alongside Megan Thee Stallion and the state’s two Democratic senators. But people familiar with the campaign say she’s set aside large blocks of time this week to consider her decision and perhaps conduct any final interviews.

In the last few days, Mr. Walz’s stock has risen as a potential pick. He spent 12 years in Congress representing a solid red rural Minnesota district as a Democrat before becoming the state’s governor. He is popular with unions and labor leaders.

Mr. Walz also blasted GOP nominee former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, as “weird,” a rallying cry the Harris campaign has seized on.

“He checks off a lot of boxes,” said a Democratic strategist who agreed to handicap the choices on the condition of anonymity. “He was in the military, served in Congress, as a governor, is very pro-union, has a likability factor with folksy charm.”

However, Mr. Walz is not well known outside of Minnesota and was largely criticized for his handling of the riots in his state following the murder of George Floyd by police in 2020. 

Mr. Walz has also been very supportive of Israel as it battles Hamas, which could impact support among young progressives angry over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Strong support for Israel could also sink Mr. Shapiro’s candidacy. Mr. Shapiro, who is Jewish, has issued strong statements in support of Israel’s right to defend itself. He also has not called for a cease-fire, but has expressed support for a two-state solution.

But Mr. Shapiro does bring certain advantages, including huge popularity in Pennsylvania, a must-win-swing state. He has shown he can appeal to rural voters in the Rust Belt.

Mr. Buttigieg can also address midwestern swing-state voters as the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He is also extremely popular among the left.

But the strategist said having Mr. Buttigieg, who is openly gay, on the same ticket as Ms. Harris, a Black woman, might be “too much societal change at once.” He expects voters, especially conservative-leaning independents, to reject such a ticket.

Mr. Beshear, twice elected as the governor of a red state, has proven he can gain support from independents and even some Trump supporters. He doesn’t have much name recognition outside of his home state and wouldn’t be able to flip Kentucky for Democrats in a national election, given its strong Republican ties.

Mr. Kelly, a former naval aviator and an astronaut who flew the Space Shuttle, could give the Harris campaign a candidate who would appeal to White men who flock to Mr. Trump.

But if he is selected, Arizona would have to hold a special election to fill his seat if Democrats win the White House. That could flip the balance of power in the Senate to Republicans, depending on how the down-ballot races pan out.

“He has strong credentials, but someone from a Rust Belt swing state would go much further on the ticket,” the strategist said.