How Kamala Harris is going about finding a VP pick in just 2 weeks
The list of candidates being vetted is heavy on white governors from battleground states, including Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Roy Cooper of North Carolina.
Yamiche Alcindor and Jonathan Allen | July 24, 2024 | NBC News |
Vice President Kamala Harris has looked at the vetting process from both sides now. But she doesn't have much time to spare.
It was only on Sunday that President Joe Biden abandoned his campaign and effectively handed it to her, leaving two weeks for Democrats to nominate her and a running mate if they hope to beat an Aug. 7 deadline to ensure their ticket appears on ballots in every state. Modern candidates usually have months to decide, as Biden did when he dragged his feet in picking her in 2020, and as Republican nominee Donald Trump did while holding a virtual public pageant this year before putting Sen. JD Vance of Ohio on his ticket.
Harris doesn't have that luxury.
She is winnowing her list quickly — in part because of the compressed timeline and in part because several potential candidates, including Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, have taken themselves out of the running. In interviews with more than a half-dozen Democratic insiders, the names of a handful of hopefuls have emerged as leading contenders: Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Roy Cooper of North Carolina. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are also in the mix, these people said.