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Vice President Kamala Harris is gearing up to reveal her vice presidential pick, potentially as early as Monday, as she prepares to kick off a multi-state battleground tour alongside her chosen running mate, according to a report in Reuters. The decision on Harris’ VP candidate has captured significant attention since she emerged as the Democratic frontrunner following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race. Harris is scheduled to unveil her selection before embarking on a tour of key states that hold the potential to sway towards either Republicans or Democrats in the upcoming November election.
While Harris’ campaign has not yet commented on the matter, sources familiar with the planning have hinted at the imminent announcement. The list of contenders being considered for the role includes prominent figures such as Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Stay tuned for further updates on this crucial development.
On Monday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer both indicated they were out of the VP sweepstakes. A handful of U.S. states, often called battlegrounds, have decided the presidential election in recent years, including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“There has been no date confirmed for VP Harris to announce her running mate,” a campaign spokesperson told Reuters.
Typically, campaigns begin thinking about their vice-presidential pick after the primary race ends in the spring, giving them months to vet candidates and make a decision on who the candidate meshes with best personally and politically.
Harris is being forced to select her running mate on a highly compressed timeline. She faces an Aug. 7 deadline set by the Democratic National Committee, but the decision is likely to come sooner, according to the sources at Reuters.
Kamala Harris has gained ground against Republican Donald Trump in six of the seven swing states since President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll of registered voters published on Tuesday.
The poll – conducted online from July 24-28 – shows Harris leading Trump in Michigan by 11 percentage points, while in Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada, she has a 2-point advantage. Trump is ahead of Harris in Pennsylvania by 4 points and in North Carolina by 2 points. They are on equal footing in Georgia.
Wisconsin is the only state of the seven where Trump has narrowed his deficit with Harris in comparison to Biden’s performance in a previous poll.
Tuesday’s poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points in Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, 4 percentage points in Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin, and 5 percentage points in Nevada.
(With inputs from Reuters)
