List Of Potential Harris VP Picks Revealed: Report
Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly narrowing her list of potential running mates in anticipation of winning the Democratic Party nomination next month.
CNN’s Jamie Gangel reports that President Joe Biden’s unexpected decision to exit the 2024 race on Sunday took Harris by surprise. Up until Friday night, Biden had made it clear he intended to stay in the race, but allegedly “changed his mind” on Saturday.
“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 generate excitement and unify support for her campaign, Harris is reportedly considering a list of potential running mates, according to 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 noted. Both Kelly and his wife, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, have already endorsed Harris’ candidacy.
Other possible 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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Harris’ presidential campaign has raised nearly $50 million in donations since Biden ended his bid for re-election on Sunday and endorsed her.
“Since the President endorsed Vice President Harris yesterday afternoon, everyday Americans have given $49.6 million in grassroots donations to her campaign,” the Harris campaign told Fox News.
According to the Harris campaign, the figure includes community contributions made by “all entities, including ActBlue.”
Following Biden’s announcement on Sunday afternoon that he would withdraw from the 2024 race due to pressure from the Democratic Party, Harris declared her own presidential campaign.
The historic announcement was made in response to calls from an increasing number of Democratic lawmakers for Biden to step down, amid reports that party leaders were trying to convince the 81-year-old president that he could not defeat former President Trump, the 2024 GOP nominee, in the November 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 it has been my intention 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.”
In a social media post, Biden said he will formally address the nation later this week about his decision and went on to endorse Harris.
The president’s support is expected to deter other Democrats from seriously challenging Harris and may smooth her path to becoming the party’s nominee.
More than 178 Democratic members of the House and Senate, along with over six governors, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, have already endorsed Harris.
Following Biden’s announcement, Harris issued a statement saying she is “honored to have the President’s endorsement, and I intend to earn and win this nomination.”
Former President Barack Obama, however, has not yet endorsed Harris and is instead supporting a process aimed at finding an “outstanding” nominee.
In a detailed statement, which largely praised Biden, Obama said: “For now, Michelle and I just want to express our love and gratitude to Joe and Jill for leading us so ably and courageously during these perilous times — and for their commitment to the ideals of freedom and equality that this country was founded on.”
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond,” Obama added.