After Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign announced she secured enough delegates via virtual roll call vote to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination on Friday, attention shifted to who will be Harris’ choice for vice president.
NBC News reported early Friday Harris was nearing a final decision and planned to meet with some of the top contenders in person over the next 72 hours, a source familiar with the process said. A day earlier, sources said the campaign’s vetting team met with six potential running mates as her selection process nears its end.
The six contenders are:
- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
- Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
Of the possibilities, four hail from the Midwest: Beshear, Pritzker, Walz and Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
All of them are around the same age as Harris, 59, or younger, and most have already stumped for the vice president on the campaign trail or in media appearances since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
Pritzker sat for two Zoom interviews with Harris’ vetting team, one three-hour session on Monday and a follow-up session on Wednesday that included some questions on policies.
Walz said that Harris should pick whomever will help her win in November.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison announced Friday that the vice president won the nomination, but the results will not be official until Monday.
“I’m not interviewing for anything. I just am who I am and put it out there,” Walz said.
The formal vetting process by a law firm has concluded, two sources familiar with the process said, and the in-person meetings are among the last steps before Harris makes her pick. Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under President Barack Obama, oversaw the process for Harris as part of his role as senior counsel at Covington and Burling LLP.
It’s unclear if all of the six potential candidates have advanced to the final in-person interviews with Harris herself this weekend.
Harris’ decision is expected by next Tuesday when she is set to appear with her choice for the first time during a battleground state tour that begins in Philadelphia, a source told NBC News.
Harris announced her intention to “earn and win the nomination” shortly after President Joe Biden revealed to Americans that he would be suspending his presidential campaign on July 21.