Harris Campaign Narrows Down VP Search To Three Top Contenders

As Vice President Kamala Harris moves closer to selecting her running mate for the November presidential election, speculation is increasing.

Harris, the likely Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden exited the race, is anticipated to announce her pick by August 7.

A recent report suggests that Harris's shortlist includes three names: Gov. Roy Cooper, Gov. Andy Beshear, and Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“Of the five or six vice-presidential options currently seen as the most serious contenders, two of them — Governors Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Andy Beshear of Kentucky — directly overlapped with Ms. Harris as attorneys general. Now-Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania came into the job as she was leaving her post, and as Mr. Trump entered the White House,” the New York Times reported.

“Interviews with more than a dozen people who worked with Ms. Harris and those men at the time offer a window into her relationships with these possible running mates, and a snapshot of what each might bring — a steady, seasoned hand; political potency in an essential battleground state; or proven appeal in conservative territory. All would offer ‘balance’ to the ticket along the lines of geography, ideology and executive experience,” the NYT added.

The NYT report continued: “These three men have also proved their ability to work in a way ‘that would benefit not only members of their party, but all of the residents in their states,’ said Karl Racine, the former attorney general of Washington, D.C., who helped lead the Democratic Attorneys General Association during Ms. Harris’s tenure.”

Harris is reportedly finalizing her list of potential running mates as she prepares to secure the Democratic Party nomination next month.

Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 race on Sunday reportedly took Harris by surprise, according to CNN’s Jamie Gangel.

“And the first thing I’m told that they’re looking at is logistics. They have a campaign to put together. She has to see, as Phil was talking about earlier, whether anyone’s going to challenge her,” Gangel reported.

“The other thing is simply, you know, how does she get her name on the ballot? Yes, she is part of this infrastructure with the campaign and the convention, but this is a whole new game,” Gangel added.

To build enthusiasm and unify support for her candidacy, Gangel revealed that Harris is considering a list of potential running partners, citing sources close to the vice president.

One name on the list is Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), “who I am told she likes a lot,” Gangel said. Kelly and his wife, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, have already endorsed Harris’s candidacy.

Other candidates include Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. “There are clearly others, but those four names are the names I keep hearing about,” the CNN reporter added.

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Following Biden’s announcement that he would withdraw from the 2024 race due to pressure from the Democratic Party, Harris declared her own presidential campaign.

This historic declaration came in response to calls from a growing number of Democratic lawmakers for Biden to resign, with reports suggesting that party leadership was trying to convince the 81-year-old Biden that he could not defeat former President Trump, the 2024 GOP nominee, in November’s general election. Biden had won the White House four years earlier.

Immediately after Harris assumed the role of the party’s presidential nominee, Biden gave Harris his “full support and endorsement.”

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden wrote in a public letter. “While I had intended to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”

After Biden’s announcement, Harris released a statement saying she is “honored to have the President’s endorsement, and I intend to earn and win this nomination.”