Washington: US Vice-President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris is meeting three finalists for her running mate for a chemistry test on Sunday, taking the search into the final stage. She is scheduled to announce her pick at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Harris is expected to use these one-on-one meetings to test personal chemistry between her and her pick, who, if the ticket wins, will be her deputy for four years and another four years, if they are re-elected.
The other key qualification is governance – whether they will be ready to step in for her when needed. The finalists are the Governors of Minnesota and Pennsylvania, Tim Walz and Josh Shapiro, respectively, and Senator Mark Kelly.
It was not immediately apparent whether invitations had been extended to other contenders, such as Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Last month, Roy Cooper, the Governor of North Carolina, withdrew from the competition.
Typically, presidential candidates spend months selecting a running mate. However, Harris was compelled to conclude her search within weeks following her ascent to the forefront of the Democratic ticket on July 21, after President Joe Biden ceased his re-election campaign amid internal party pressures and endorsed his vice president.
Eric Holder, the former Attorney General, along with a team of lawyers, has meticulously vetted the candidate, sifting through extensive documentation to compile a shortlist for Harris to consider. On Saturday, Holder presented his findings to the Vice-President at her Naval Observatory residence.
Harris has cleared her weekend schedule of rallies to conclude the search and make her pivotal decision as the presumptive nominee. Minnesota Governor Walz has gained favor for his down-to-earth demeanor and strong union connections. As a past educator and multi-term House Representative, he has caught the attention of Democrats, notably for labeling the Republican nominee, ex-President Donald Trump, and his campaign as “weird”—a term now adopted by Harris’s campaign and Democrats throughout the party’s ranks.
Shapiro, the Governor of Pennsylvania, is regarded as a leading contender due to his popularity in the state, which is pivotal for Harris’s White House bid. The former two-term Attorney General secured the gubernatorial race in 2022 with a margin of nearly 15 percentage points. Currently, Harris lags behind Trump by 2.7 percentage points in Pennsylvania, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls.
Kelly hails from another crucial battleground state, Arizona, and his support could be instrumental in helping Harris achieve the 270 electoral college votes required to become the first female President of the United States. Harris is trailing Trump by 4 percentage points in Arizona. Kelly’s background as a former fighter pilot and astronaut adds distinctive qualities to the ticket. He is also known for being the spouse of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who left politics after surviving an assassination attempt in 2011.
(With IANS inputs)
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