National News
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris interviewed half a dozen potential running mates this weekend ahead of an official announcement and a Battleground tour supporting their recent No. 2 next week.
Her interview list includes governors Andy Beshear of Kentucky, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Tim Walz of Minnesota, in addition to Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in response to two individuals with knowledge of Harris' selection process. The people were granted anonymity to debate private campaign considerations.
Shapiro and Kelly were considered favorites during their abbreviated selection process, which began with the consideration of a couple of dozen names. Several have publicly withdrawn their candidacy, including North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who’s near Harris from their time together as attorneys general but expressed concerns about traveling often out of state if he were to be on the Democratic national ballot.
Her deadline for choosing a vice chairman is effectively Tuesday, when Harris will Tour through seven essential swing statesstarting in Philadelphia.
President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday that he had spoken to Harris about her seek for a vice presidential candidate, but when asked if he could give her advice on the qualities she should search for in a vice presidential candidate, the president publicly demurred.
“I'll leave that to her,” Biden said on the South Lawn of the White House before leaving for Wilmington, Delaware, for the weekend.
Some of the People on Harris' shortlist had abruptly canceled their plans for this weekend, suggesting that something could also be afoot within the vice presidential selection process. For example, Shapiro canceled three weekend fundraisers in coastal communities on Long Island, New York, and his press secretary, Manuel Bonder, offered little explanation.
“The governor's trip was planned several weeks ago and included several fundraisers for his own campaign committee,” Bonder said in a press release. “His schedule has changed and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend.”
A Shapiro fundraiser was hosted by Michael Kempner, a member of the President Joe BidenKempner said in a note to invitees that the meeting had been postponed and openly advocated making Shapiro Harris' No. 2. He wrote, “Many are speculating that this is a sign that he will become vice president.”
Meanwhile, a video posted Friday by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, who’s publicly endorsing Shapiro for vice chairman, sparked a stir on social media. The video featured several Philadelphia-area officials and Democrats endorsing Harris as a presidential candidate but additionally touting Shapiro as a vice chairman, leading some to consider that Parker can have inside knowledge of Harris' decision.
But an individual accustomed to the mayor's considering said the video was simply the mayor's endorsement of Harris and the chance that Shapiro, Parker's boyfriend, could turn out to be her vice presidential running mate. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to debate the matter publicly.
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