WASHINGTON, Aug 6: On Tuesday, Kamala Harris will announce her vice presidential running mate, marking her first significant decision as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate and advancing her campaign for the November election.
Harris, the first woman and first Black and South Asian person to serve as vice president, has narrowed her choices to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, sources revealed to Reuters on Monday. These candidates, white men with a proven ability to win over rural, white, or independent voters, were selected from a pool of finalists.
A campaign official indicated that no calls were made regarding a decision on Monday night, suggesting Harris had not informed the potential running mates of her choice.
Harris took over as the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign last month. Since then, she has raised hundreds of millions of dollars and revitalized the race against Republican Donald Trump with renewed energy from her party’s base.
Although she had secured enough delegates to be the party’s nominee, the Democratic National Committee officially confirmed her nomination late Monday.
Harris and her running mate are expected to appear together at an event in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening. This selection will reveal her strategy for winning the presidency and indicate who she believes would be an effective governing partner if she triumphs over Trump.
Shapiro, 51, is a rising star in the party with high approval ratings in Pennsylvania, a crucial state with 19 electoral votes necessary for both Harris and Trump.
Walz, 60, is the governor of a reliably Democratic state but has shown appeal to rural, white voters, a demographic that has largely supported Trump in recent years.
While Americans generally focus on the presidential candidate, vice presidential picks can significantly impact the campaign based on their backgrounds, popularity in their home state, and ability to attract key constituencies or independent voters.
Trump’s vice presidential pick, U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, has faced challenges since joining the Republican ticket, including backlash over past comments about “childless cat ladies,” which may alienate women voters.
The Trump campaign announced that Vance will follow Harris and her new running mate to several swing states this week, including stops in South Philadelphia on Tuesday and Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday. Vance plans to critique Harris on economic issues and immigration.
