The Veepstakes is entering its homestretch!
Reuters reported exclusively on Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris is close to naming her running mate and will immediately begin campaigning with him on a tour through key battleground states.
The shortlist has been narrowed down to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper had also been in consideration, but withdrew from the Veepstakes on Monday.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is the co-chair of the Harris For President campaign, also made it clear she was out of contention to be on the ticket because she was working to elect it.
All of the potential VP picks have already been stumping for the Harris campaign, with Walz emerging as a social media favorite for his recent appearances calling the Trump-Vance ticket "weird."
"The fascists depend on us going back, but we’re not afraid of weird people," Walz said on Saturday. "We’re a little bit creeped out, but we’re not afraid."
Secretary Pete is also increasingly popular across various age demographics, with recent polling him a safe 5% ahead of any other current contenders.
VP Harris has until August 7th to announce her running mate, who will be formally nominated with her at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, but we can expect that announcement sooner, say the sources close to the campaign.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., who led the vice-presidential vetting process for Barack Obama in 2008, has been tasked with vetting VP Harris' picks through his law firm, Covington & Burling.