Harris Reportedly Narrows Her VP List to Two Names

UPDATE Aug 6, 2024 6:23 AM CDT

The world will learn the name of Kamala Harris' running mate at some point on Tuesday, and no leaks surfaced overnight about a certain pick. Reuters reports the vice president has narrowed it down to two governors: Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Tim Walz of Minnesota. World bookmakers have those two names above the rest of the field, with Shapiro the bigger favorite, notes USA Today.

Aug 5, 2024 7:00 PM CDT

A campaign spokesperson said Monday afternoon that Vice President Kamala Harris hasn't chosen a running mate yet, but insiders say the process is almost at an end. The New York Times predicts that the choice will be unveiled by Tuesday morning at the latest. Politico, citing "people familiar with the selection process," reports that there will be a video announcement of Harris' running mate Tuesday before she appears with the candidate at a rally in Philadelphia. Harris met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in Washington, DC, on Sunday.

It's not clear whether Harris met with other possible running mates on Monday. Other names on her shortlist reportedly include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Sources tell NBC News that details of the rollout are still being finalized and could change if there is a leak to the media. According to sources who spoke to CNN, Harris was focusing Monday afternoon on Shapiro and Walz, but Kelly was still in the running.

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The veepstakes have turned "increasingly ugly" in the past few days, with progressives unhappy with Shapiro's stance on the war in Gaza calling him "Genocide Josh" and pushing for Walz, the Hill reports. "This is probably the closest thing to a primary that Democrats get this cycle and that explains why this has gotten so high stakes," a Democratic strategist tells the outlet. "Many Democrats are looking at this as the last opportunity to impact the ticket and potentially the last opportunity to have an impact on the White House until 2028 or 2032 so you are seeing a lot of campaigning." (More Kamala Harris 2024 stories.)