By Alex Gangitano
Vice President Harris and her team are interviewing running mate candidates before she announces her pick next week, and the top choices all have established relationships with Harris, which could influence her decision.
In her time as attorney general of California, U.S. senator and vice president, Harris has gotten to know those who have been identified as front-runners to join her on the Democratic ticket: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The campaign has also vetted Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Harris has worked with them all.
âShe needs to find someone she vibes with. Who can help govern and make tough decisions,â one Harris ally said.
The vice president is expected to announce her running mate by Tuesday morning before embarking on a four-day, seven-state campaign swing alongside her pick.
But given the condensed timeline of the search, Harrisâs ties to the candidates may play a role in whom she chooses.
âI could see a world in which sheâs had a little bit of a relationship or a starting relationship with her VP candidate, but they more so balance the ticket and the relationship grows over time. I could see that happening certainly with Shapiro and with Beshear, and I could even see Buttigieg,â a former Senate adviser to Harris said.
Shapiro, 51, was attorney general of Pennsylvania from 2017-23. While that didnât overlap with Harrisâs tenure as attorney general of California, her allies say the two got to know each other because she stayed in touch with the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA).
About a week before Biden dropped out of the race â while he was fighting to prove to Democrats that he could hold onto his bid â Harris traveled to Philadelphia for an Asian voter event. She made a surprise visit after the event with Shapiro to Reading Terminal Market.
They bought food together from the Little Thai Market, during which Shapiro told reporters that Pennsylvania âwas the swingiest of swing states.â
A source familiar with Harrisâs relationships said she has âspent a lot of timeâ with Shapiro as vice president, including when she went out to campaign with him in 2022, when he was running for governor.
Harris made a surprise campaign stop for him that July at Philadelphiaâs Samuel Staten Jr. Building while she was in the city for a panel on reproductive rights.
âShe definitely would have kept in touch with him; she goes to the DAGA meetings and engages with them. They certainly have kept in touch,â the former Senate adviser said.
The source added that Harris also has âa pretty good relationshipâ with Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who is close with Shapiro. She worked on bills together with him during her time in the Senate.
Kelly, 60, was sworn into the Senate in 2020; throughout most of his tenure, Harris has served as vice president. Harris has a relationship with his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), through her work as a gun violence prevention advocate.
Harris and Kelly were together in June, the day after Bidenâs dismal debate performance. Both participated in an event in Las Vegas.
Additionally, Harris hosted Giffords at the White House in December for a meeting on curbing gun violence.
âThey do have a pretty good relationship. Sheâs familiar with him, sheâs kept in touch with him just because of the dynamics of the Senate, just how itâs been over the last few years, and she knows his wife, Giffords,â the former Senate adviser said, adding that Kelly is âprobably one of her favorites on the listâ but that the dynamics of losing him in the Senate could deter her from choosing him.
Walz, 60, was a longtime congressman, from 2007-19, which overlapped with Harrisâs tenure in the Senate.
In March, Walz joined Harris on a visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul, Minn. That historic trip was the first time a sitting president or vice president visited an abortion clinic.
With Kelly and Walz, âshe has a great rapport with both of them. Have seen it with Walz firsthand, and Iâve heard about it from others about Kelly,â the source familiar with Harrisâs relationships said.