VP WATCH: Anticipation Builds In Hours Before Kamala Taps Running Mate

 Since President Joe Biden’s decision to step down from his 2024 campaign, speculation has swirled over who Vice President Kamala Harris might choose to be her running mate. That is all expected to end within hours.

Several names have appeared in lists of potential vice presidential candidates, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. Other names have been floated — including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who, like Harris, ran an unsuccessful campaign for president in 2020.

CNN reported that Harris was set to meet with her “vetting team” on Saturday for briefings on the candidates, and that the final contenders would engage in meetings with the vice president.

With the announcement of her running mate expected on Tuesday, the pool was reportedly narrowed to just two candidates by Monday— Josh Shapiro and Tim Walz.

According to CPAC rankings, while Shapiro and Walz might come across as moderate, they are both extremely progressive. As The Daily Wire reported, Walz “signed legislation giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses, and making the state a sanctuary state for child sex changes,” and Shapiro funded sanctuary cities and promoted DEI in state government, among other things.

Following the running mate announcement, Harris and her vice presidential candidate will reportedly hold a rally in Philadelphia, then go on a multi-state tour.

The two candidates rumored to be at the top of Harris’ list, Shapiro and Walz, could boost Harris in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Minnesota. As of publication, former President Donald Trump is leading in Pennsylvania by 1.8% and Harris is leading in Minnesota by roughly 8% — though only two recent polls appear in the RealClearPolitics average for Minnesota, so the data is less reliable.

Walz has emerged late as a contender, with much of the early attention falling on Shapiro. Walz will face criticism for his role as Minnesota’s governor during the Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 after the death of George Floyd — the riots he allowed to envelop the city caused hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property damage. Walz himself admitted that the government response was an “abject failure,” according to the local Star Tribune.

 

Harris has experienced a fairly significant polling bounce in the aftermath of Biden’s departure, and appears to be gaining ground in states in which the president was lagging behind Trump. Her selection of a vice presidential candidate, as well as the excitement surrounding the Democratic National Convention later this month in Chicago, may well propel her further.

Harris, however, is yet to sit for an interview — or even answer a single question — in the more than two weeks since she was elevated to the top of the ticket.

The announcement comes, also, as the Biden-Harris administration faces headwinds with crises both domestic and abroad. The stock market crashed on Monday, with the Dow Jones falling by more than 1,000 points, and the Middle East appears headed for full-scale conflict, with Iranian forces firing missiles on Monday at a U.S. military base in Iraq.

“ALL CAUSED BY INEPT U.S. LEADERSHIP!” Trump posted to social media on Monday.

Harris has also faced increased scrutiny on her personal life, with reports emerging over the weekend that her husband, Douglas Emhoff, impregnated the family nanny during his first marriage. He acknowledged the affair on Sunday, stating: “I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side.”