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Vice President Kamala Harris is zeroing in on a group of potential running mates, as she faces a two-week dash to make the biggest decision of her nascent presidential bid.<\/p>\n
Harris is considering a\u00a0wide range<\/a>\u00a0of vice presidential candidates from the Democratic Party\u2019s bench, though people familiar with the process say a short list has emerged including three elected officials with nationwide appeal: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, said she \u201cdirected her team to begin the process of vetting potential running mates\u201d but declined to elaborate on the search.<\/p>\n Harris is expected to make a selection by Aug. 7, in order to align with the party\u2019s plan to virtually nominate a ticket by that date.\u00a0<\/p>\n Picking a vice presidential candidate will cement the Democratic standard-bearers to take on Republican nominee Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance in the November election. Harris\u2019 sidekick can serve as a force multiplier who can campaign and raise money on her behalf, while ideally complimenting her strengths and covering any vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n Most on Harris\u2019 list are White, male politicians with centrist leanings who could help Harris appeal to swing-state voters, as well as business leaders and donors. They have a track record of attacking Trump and his firebrand style of politics. Walz has gained momentum with progressives, enough to vault himself into consideration, according to people familiar with the matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n Allies of Harris say chemistry between the vice president and whoever she picks is just as important as their political attributes. Harris knows firsthand the pressures of being No. 2 on the Democratic ticket and is weighing her experience as she makes a selection, according to her supporters.<\/p>\n Harris\u2019 ascension to become the likely Democratic nominee, after President Joe Biden\u2019s stunning exit from the race, has accelerated what is typically a months-long vetting process of potential running mates. The pick will take place amid a furious effort by Harris to shape the Biden campaign operation in her image, define herself to voters and expand her war chest \u2014 all with roughly 100 days until Election Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n Democrats cautioned that the search must still be thorough in order to catch any red-flags. Those warnings took on new urgency as old clips emerged of Vance making disparaging comments about childless women, which have come under\u00a0widespread criticism<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the Trump team is finding out, it\u2019s not just the legal vetting that the team has to do, but it also has to go through tweets, speeches and clips,\u201d said Democratic strategist Karen Finney. \u201cYou want a thorough vet, and you want to go through a substantial volume of background info to give you a picture of the person.\u201d<\/p>\n Former Attorney General Eric Holder is leading the vetting process. Holder\u2019s law firm, Covington & Burling LLP, has 12 to 15 files on candidates, according to one person familiar with the process, showing Harris initially cast a wide net.<\/p>\n Shapiro is a popular governor of arguably the most important swing state, and a skilled orator who has performed strongly in rural areas, a weakness for Democrats. Walz, a former teacher and Army National Guard member, could dash Trump\u2019s hopes of making Minnesota competitive and mirror Vance\u2019s Midwestern appeal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kelly\u2019s state doubles as a battleground and border area and he has broken with Biden on immigration issues. His wife, Gabrielle Giffords, is a former congresswoman who became a gun-control activist after surviving an assassination attempt in 2011.<\/p>\n Harris is also looking at the Biden Cabinet for options. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are being vetted, the people said.<\/p>\n A Harris campaign official said she is evaluating potential picks based on shared political values, including on the economy and democracy, and their ability to act as a governing partner and lead the country, if necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n The switch from Biden to Harris has energized Democrats, who have gathered tens of thousands on organizing calls and given millions of dollars in donations since the president dropped out. The challenge for Harris is to sustain that momentum for their pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n Harris\u2019 surrogates are fanning out to battlegrounds, including some possible running mates. This weekend, Shapiro and Walz are campaigning in their home states. Buttigieg is embarking on a tour of three ports that will take him to battlegrounds Michigan and Wisconsin.<\/p>\n Those said to be under consideration by Harris have publicly said little about the selection process \u2014 though few have denied having interest in the job.<\/p>\n