WASHINGTON -- The dates are set. The venues are chosen. The only thing missing from this week's campaign blitz with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and her 2024 running mate is the name of the running mate.
After a weekend spent interviewing finalists, Harris must decide on her wingman before the two set off Tuesday on a tour across key battleground states where they will introduce the new Democratic ticket to voters and highlight the stakes of the election.
Everything about her campaign has been rapid-fire out of necessity. She's only been a candidate for a little over two weeks, since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race following a dismal debate performance and escalating calls within the Democratic party for him to step aside. The Democratic National Committee chair said Friday that Harris had already secured enough votes to become the party's nominee and will accept the nomination Monday night when voting ends.
And about 8 in 10 Democrats say they would be somewhat or very satisfied if Harris became the Democratic nominee for president, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was conducted after Biden withdrew from the race.
Harris has had to do condensed vetting of her potential running mates as the party's convention draws near. That means there's not much time left for advocates for and against different picks get in their final licks.
Harris was zeroing in on three running mate contenders, whom she interviewed Sunday in Washington. They were Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to a person familiar with the process who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations. Three other men have been in the mix: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Walz is in his second term as governor of Minnesota. He has made his state a bastion of liberal policy and, this year, one of the few states to protect fans buying tickets online for Taylor Swift concerts and other live events. He comes from rural America and in his first race for Congress, Walz upset a Republican incumbent.
Walz spoke before an energetic crowd at a fundraiser Monday evening in downtown Minneapolis, but didn't drop any hints about his status on Harris' shortlist. But the governor spoke of a "politics of joy" that he hopes to spread on the campaign trail on behalf of Harris.
"We've got to run this campaign against the serious threat that's there, but we have to do it every single day with a sense of joy," he said.
Walz also criticized Donald Trump and Republicans who wanted to regulate what books children read and undermine abortion rights.
The Minnesota Democratic Party, meanwhile, posted a booster for Walz online. "IMPORTANT PSA: There's no 'T' sound in 'Walz' (But there is one in `Vice President Walz')," the group wrote with a winking smiley face emoji.
Some congressional Democrats have promoted Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut whose state has more than 370 miles or 600 kilometres of border with Mexico. They say his selection could help defuse Trump's arguments that the Biden-Harris administration's immigration policies are too relaxed.
Shapiro has prominent supporters, too, like Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker. She caused a stir by posting a video Friday depicting several Philadelphia-area officials and Democrats promoting Harris, but also playing up Shapiro as her running mate. A person familiar with the mayor's thinking said she had no insider knowledge about Harris' intentions.
When asked about the veepstakes Monday, Shapiro said he had no information.
"I got nothing for you, man," he told an Associated Press reporter as he arrived at the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg. "Have a great day."
Both Kelly and Shapiro have seen their detractors become more vocal as Harris closes in on a decision.
Some labour groups have criticized Kelly, saying he opposes proposed legislation they argue would boost union organizing. The senator's office counters that while he did not co-sponsor the proposed legislation, he has said he would vote for it.
The nonprofit Institute for Middle East Understanding has been vocal about Shapiro, saying in a statement last week that he was not the right candidate for the job.
Shapiro has aggressively confronted what he views as antisemitism cropping up from pro-Palestinian demonstrations and he has professed solidarity with Israel in its drive to eliminate Hamas as it Israel battles the militants in Gaza. But he's also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while suggesting that any end to the Israel-Hamas war requires the removal of Hamas from power.
Harris and her running mate 鈥� whoever that is 鈥� will launch Tuesday into an aggressive battleground state tour that begins in Philadelphia on Tuesday and winds later in the week through Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada. A scheduled stop in Savannah, Georgia, was canceled due to the expected effects of Hurricane Debby.
Campaign officials are aware that momentum can be fleeting and are working to capitalize on the energy now, while managing expectations by continuing to emphasize that the race with Republican nominee Donald Trump is tight. But the strong rollout has allowed the Harris campaign to put a number of states back in play that had been feared out of reach when Biden remained at the top of the ticket.
Trump's running mate, JD Vance, was heading out on almost exactly the same campaign schedule as Harris: Philadelphia on Tuesday, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Detroit on Wednesday and Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday.
He told Fox News on Sunday that Harris' pick doesn't matter to him. "Whoever she chooses, the problem is going to be Kamala Harris' record and Kamala Harris' policies," he said, adding, "It's not going to be good for the country."
Harris' early rallies have attracted enthusiastic thousands. Campaign officials say each stop will be loaded with local election officials, religious leaders, union members and more in an effort to show the diversity of her coalition. Some Republicans will also appear with her, according to the campaign.
The campaign this week launched "Republicans for Harris." The program will be a "campaign within a campaign," according to Harris' team, using well-known Republicans to activate their networks, with a particular emphasis on primary voters who backed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
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Associated Press writers Michael Goldberg in Minneapolis, Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, Steve Peoples in New York and Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pa., contributed to this report.
