WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris interviews half a dozen potential running mates this weekend, in preparation for the official announcement and a tour with her new number 2 next week.
Her interview list includes Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Tim Walz of Minnesota, as well as Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, according to two people with knowledge of Harris’ selection process. The people were granted anonymity to discuss private campaign deliberations.
Shapiro and Kelly were seen as front-runners during her abbreviated selection process, which began with a screening of about a dozen names. Some have publicly backed off, such as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who is close to Harris from their time together as state attorneys general but has expressed concern about frequent out-of-state travel if he were on the national Democratic ticket.
Her deadline for choosing a running mate is effective Tuesday, when Harris will tour of seven key states where the battle revolvesstarting in Philadelphia.
President Joe Biden told reporters Friday that he has spoken with Harris about her search for a vice presidential nominee. But when asked if he had any advice on what qualities she should look for in a running mate, the president publicly denied it.
“I’ll let her figure that out for herself,” Biden said on the South Lawn of the White House before leaving for Wilmington, Delaware, for the weekend.
Some of the people on Harris’ short list abruptly canceled their plans for this weekend, suggesting something is afoot in the vice presidential selection process. For example, Shapiro canceled three weekend fundraisers in coastal communities on Long Island, New York, and his press secretary, Manuel Bonder, offered little explanation as to why.
“The Governor’s trip was planned several weeks ago and included several fundraisers for his own campaign committee,” Bonder said in a statement. “His schedule has changed and he will no longer be traveling to the Hamptons this weekend.”
One Shapiro fundraiser was to be organized by Michael Kempner, a member of the President’s Joe Biden ‘s National Finance Committee. Kempner said in a letter to invitees that the meeting had been postponed and openly advocated for Shapiro as Harris’ No. 2, writing that “many speculate this is a sign he will become vice president.”
Meanwhile, a video posted to social media by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, who has openly endorsed Shapiro for vice president, caused a stir on Friday. It showed a number of Philadelphia-area officials and Democrats promoting Harris for president but also touting Shapiro for vice president, leading some to suspect that Parker may have had insider knowledge of Harris’ decision.
However, a person with knowledge of the mayor’s thoughts said the video was simply the mayor expressing support for both Harris and the possibility of Shapiro, Parker’s boyfriend, becoming her vice presidential running mate. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
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Marc Levy, an Associated Press editor in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.