Harris conducts home interviews with Walz, Kelly, and Shapiro to select the vice president

Before making a final choice for her running partner, Vice President Kamala Harris will interview three leading contenders in her Washington, D.C. home on Sunday: U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota.

Prior to her first public appearance alongside the vice presidential nominee on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Harris is anticipated to make her decision as early as Monday, according to a story originally obtained by Reuters. According to individuals familiar with the plans, the Harris campaign is also preparing a social media announcement that would feature the two, Reuters was informed.

On Saturday, Harris had a meeting with her screening team, which included former Attorney General Eric Holder, whose legal practice Covington & Burling LLP examined the financial records and personal histories of possible running mates. Per people familiar with the process, Holder and his team presented each nominee in great detail.

According to the sources, she had a 90-minute discussion with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday and is also holding virtual meetings with contenders. The two governors vying for the position are J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Andy Beshear of Kentucky.

According to the reports, the contenders would find out whether they were selected either on Monday night or Tuesday morning.

One of the most important choices Harris will make in her political career is selecting a running partner as she quickly puts together a campaign to oppose Donald Trump on November 5th following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the contest last month.

All of the white males on her shortlist have a track record of winning over white, independent, or rural voters.

By moving the selected candidate to the head of the line for upcoming presidential elections, Harris’ choice also affects the Democratic Party’s future course.

One of the front-runners, Shapiro, has come under heavy fire from the left, particularly from progressive organizations and pro-Palestinian activists, for his support of Israel and how he handled university demonstrations brought on by the Gaza War.

“A pro-working class policy agenda, including a Black agenda, and a policy correction on Gaza are imperative,” stated Nina Turner, a fellow at The Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, a progressive research organization, and co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign. “Picking Governor Shapiro as a running mate risks closing that door.”

Labor organizations, such as the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which recently endorsed Harris for president, have criticized him for calls to expand voucher programs, which allow public tax dollars to flow to private schools. His handling of a sexual harassment complaint against a longtime top aide has also come under scrutiny.

Kelly has also come under fire from certain labor organizations for not endorsing measures that they claim would encourage unionization.

The UAW president, Shawn Fain, stated that although his 370,000 members favor Harris for president, they do not support Kelly or Shapiro as a possible running mate.

Progressives and youth organizations have come to love Walz because they appreciate his criticism of Trump.

Although Walz is just one year older than Harris—60—detractors claim he seems considerably older, which might be detrimental to a campaign that is still getting over Biden’s departure and Biden’s age.

In response to this critique of X, Walz claimed that the reason he looks the way he does is because he spent 20 years as a high school teacher and “supervised the lunchroom.” You don’t have a full head of hair when you quit that job. Believe me.”