US Vice President Kamala Harris interviewed three top candidates — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, US Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro — at her Washington residence on Sunday ahead of a final decision on her running mate.
Harris was expected to announce her choice as early as yesterday, ahead of her first public appearance with the vice presidential nominee today in Philadelphia.
The Harris campaign is also planning a social media announcement featuring the duo, officials familiar with the arrangements said.
Photo: Reuters
Harris met with her vetting team on Saturday, including former US attorney general Eric Holder, whose law firm Covington & Burling scrutinized the finances and background of potential running mates. Holder and his office made in-depth presentations on each of the finalists, sources familiar with the process said.
Harris met US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for 90 minutes on Friday and was also meeting candidates online, the sources said.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker are the other candidates in contention for the job.
The candidates were to be informed last night or this morning whether they were picked, the sources said.
The choice of a running mate is one of the most consequential decisions of Harris’ political career, as she hastily pulls together a campaign to challenge former US president Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election after US President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month.
Her shortlist includes all white men with a record of winning over rural, white or independent voters.
Harris’ decision also influences the future direction of the Democratic Party, elevating the chosen candidate to the front of the line for future presidential contests.
Shapiro, one of the top contenders, has faced sharp criticism from the left of the party, especially progressive groups and pro-Palestinian activists, over his support for Israel and his handling of college protests sparked by the war in Gaza.
“There must be a policy correction on Gaza and there must be a pro-working class policy agenda, including a black agenda,” said Nina Turner, cochair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign and a fellow at The Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, a progressive research group. “Picking Governor Shapiro as a running mate risks closing that door.”
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
Packed crowds in India celebrating their cricket team’s victory ended in a deadly stampede on Wednesday, with 11 mainly young fans crushed to death, the local state’s chief minister said. Joyous cricket fans had come out to celebrate and welcome home their heroes, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after they beat Punjab Kings in a roller-coaster Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket final on Tuesday night. However, the euphoria of the vast crowds in the southern tech city of Bengaluru ended in disaster, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra calling it “absolutely heartrending.” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said most of the deceased are young, with 11 dead
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
DENIAL: Musk said that the ‘New York Times was lying their ass off,’ after it reported he used so much drugs that he developed bladder problems Elon Musk on Saturday denied a report that he used ketamine and other drugs extensively last year on the US presidential campaign trail. The New York Times on Friday reported that the billionaire adviser to US President Donald Trump used so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that he developed bladder problems. The newspaper said the world’s richest person also took ecstasy and mushrooms, and traveled with a pill box last year, adding that it was not known whether Musk also took drugs while heading the so-called US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump took power in January. In a
RSS