Harris veepstakes enters homestretch as contenders cancel plans

The Democrats vying to become Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate are preparing for a final decision as soon as this weekend before a public kickoff of the new ticket early next week.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), one of the top running mate contenders, scrapped plans to hold a fundraising tour in the Hamptons over the weekend, while Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) canceled a stop at Jackson Purchase Distillery in Western Kentucky on Friday. Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman will attend the event in Beshear’s absence.  

Other vice presidential candidates, such as Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), will campaign with Harris on Sunday evening in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, according to CBS News. Walz has become a social media darling after repeatedly branding former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), as “weird.” 

All three governors, along with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have reportedly met with Harris’s vetting team in the final days before a decision is made. 

Pritzker declined to discuss his conversations with Harris’s team in an interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber, but he joked about canceling plans as well.

“Lollapalooza is happening this weekend here in Chicago, and my kids, I mean tens of thousands of others are gonna be there,” said Pritzker. “You know, I’ve heard other governors talk about how they’ve canceled their weekend plans. I was gonna perform of course with Blink-182. But I canceled in order to clear my schedule.” 

Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) withdrew from the short list of running mates, citing concerns that his Republican lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, would create distractions if he were out of state campaigning with Harris. 

“In North Carolina, we have in our constitution, back from the wagon wheel days, a provision that says when the governor leaves the state, the lieutenant governor becomes the acting governor,” Cooper said on Politico’s Playbook Deep Dive podcast. “I was on a recruiting trip to Japan; he did claim he was acting governor. He did a big proclamation and press conference while I was gone. It was something about support for the state of Israel … it was a big distraction.” 

Harris told reporters Tuesday she hasn’t made a running mate decision, but she is certain to announce her choice before Tuesday due to her campaign kicking off a battleground state tour with the vice presidential nominee that day. Philadelphia is the first stop of the tour, raising speculation that Shapiro could be the Democrat who will join her campaign.

The Keystone State is among the most important for Harris to win in her quest to succeed President Joe Biden. The 19 electoral votes it provides are the top prize among the seven battleground states. 

The campaign reportedly pushed for Wall Street donors to send in their donations ahead of the vice presidential decision because if Harris selects a governor, financial laws bar donations to a campaign featuring a sitting governor. The move has prompted many to assume the pick will come down to Beshear, Shapiro, Walz, and Pritzker. 

On Friday at 1:16 p.m. ET, the vice president earned enough delegate votes during the Democratic National Committee’s virtual roll call vote to become the presumptive nominee. The results will become official Monday evening when voting has ended and the total results are released. 

“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” Harris said during a video call with DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison. “The tireless work of our delegates, our state leaders, and staff has been pivotal in making this moment possible.”

The news also came on the same day Harris’s campaign announced raising a record $310 million in July, more than double the $139 million Trump raised last month, despite only having less than two weeks to fundraise.