Washington: US Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce her vice presidential running mate as early as Monday (August 5) next week and will hold her first rally with her pick in Philadelphia, according to sources. The location of her first rally suggests that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is primed to take the crucial spot as the Democrats seek to retain the state it had wrested from the Republicans in 2020.
A campaign aide told Reuters on Tuesday that the tour next week will take four days and cover multiple states. The high-stakes decision on who will run with Harris has taken centre stage since she became the Democratic frontrunner for the November 5 election when US President Joe Biden ended his White House bid just over a week ago. Harris is likely to announce her decision on Monday, a day before the event begins, as she prepares to take on Republican rival and former President Donald Trump.
The short list of candidates includes Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, US Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. If Shapiro is the pick, the Harris campaign is likely counting on the popular, 51-year-old governor to help win the state in November.
Shapiro’s favourability among Democrats rose after he swamped his Republican opponent for governor, Doug Mastriano, winning 56 per cent of the vote in a state known for tight elections. He would also become the second Jewish nominee for vice president on a major ticket in US history, following Joe Lieberman's failed 2000 bid with Al Gore.
As polls near, where do Harris and Trump stand?
According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, Harris held a marginal one-percentage-point lead over Trump, closing the gap that opened in the final weeks of Biden's re-election bid. The poll showed Harris supported by 43 per cent of registered voters, with former President Trump supported by 42 per cent. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week showed Harris up 44 per cent to Trump's 42 per cent.
Harris is being forced to select her running mate on a highly compressed timeline. She faces an August 7 deadline set by the Democratic National Committee, but the decision is likely to come sooner, according to the sources. Her decision is also significant as a handful of key US states have decided the presidential election in recent years, including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Eric Holder Jr, the former attorney general who led the vice-presidential vetting process for Barack Obama in 2008, is vetting Harris' picks through his law firm, Covington & Burling. The candidates are informally auditioning for the job, hitting the airwaves and campaign stops to showcase what they would bring to the Harris ticket.
US presidential race heats up
The race for the White House this November has heated up as Harris and Trump engaged in a series of barbs, with the Vice President calling the Republican "just plain weird", and the former President labelling her as "radical Left lunatic", "evil" and "unhinged". A series of polls indicate that Harris' entry erased the lead Trump had enjoyed over Biden in a matter of days.
Harris' entry in the political fray has re-energised a campaign that had faltered badly amid Democrats' doubts about Biden's chances of defeating Trump or his ability to continue to govern should he succeed. Harris, the first Black woman and first Asian American to serve as vice president, raised more than $100 million in the 36 hours after Biden decided to drop out of the race.
“We have a fight in front of us," the likely nominee said. “The momentum in this race is shifting. And there are signs Donald Trump is feeling it." The Democratic Party will hold its national convention in Chicago from August 19 to 22 and is set to nominate US Vice President Harris as its candidate for the November 5 presidential election to compete against Trump.
(with inputs from agencies)
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