Vice President Kamala Harris is said to be spending the weekend with the six remaining contenders being vetted as her running mate ahead of a promised announcement on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
The "Veepstakes" has been a hot topic ever since VP Harris stepped into the First Position on the Democratic ticket nearly two weeks ago when President Joe Biden announced he would be stepping aside and endorsing her instead.
VP Harris has already spoken one-on-one with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, with their Friday meeting lasting roughly 90 minutes, according to two sources familiar with the meeting who spoke with Reuters.
Secretary Pete has consistently led the polls, with a 5-7 point lead ahead of his closest challengers. Popular across generations and communities, Buttigieg has also been one of the few Biden administration surrogates to appear regularly on Fox News. He and his husband, Chasten, have been fundraising for the Harris campaign and have attracted plenty of celebrity support along the way.
The question remains as to whether America is ready to accept a gay Vice President standing next to its first Black woman President. The polling says...maybe? The fundraising says HELL YES WE KAM.
Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky is another top contender. He's got the experience, he can't run for another term, and he's been consistently great on women's issues and supporting the LGBTQ+ community in his state, particularly when it comes to protections for trans kids. And he's actually from Appalachia, unlike Trump's historically unpopular VP, JD "Adolf Sitler" Vance, and can speak to issues that matter to that region, particularly the devastating opioid crisis.
Other contenders include Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro, who I'd prefer remain as Governor of the battleground state. VP Harris is married to Doug Emhoff, who's Jewish, and for a lot of Americans, that's progressive enough. Also, Shapiro has been dogged as of late regarding a sexual harassment suit settled by his office, and the Harris campaign can't have a whiff of controversy like that. Plus, there are other problems surrounding Shapiro.
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are also both popular, but each brings the optics of an older white man standing next to a younger Black woman--despite both being around the same age as the Vice President.
Kamala Harris has earned this moment and needs to be seen as the person running the country, not the white man. While it's a similar situation as Barack Obama faced when choosing his Vice President, it'll be images of a Black woman next to a white man that we'll be seeing.
This is why I think Kamala Harris may end up choosing either Beshear, 46, or Buttigieg, 42. Either would do a great job. Secretary Pete could also be an amazing Secretary of State.
The consensus among Kamala's voters is clear: she has their full support no matter whom she chooses.