In a typical presidential campaign, selecting a vice-presidential candidate usually takes several months. However, newly minted Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris didn’t have that luxury of time. After a whirlwind 16-day vetting process, she finalized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. So, how did Harris and the Democrats consider this crucial decision?
When President Joe Biden, 81, abruptly announced on July 21 that he would not seek re-election and endorsed Harris as his Democratic successor, Harris’s team swiftly launched a lightning-fast search and scrutiny for a new vice-presidential candidate.
Eventually, a few names made it to the final round, and Harris conducted interviews over a weekend. These contenders utilized media interviews to express their views and launched attacks against Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator Ron Johnson, to gain attention. Meanwhile, different factions within the Democratic Party advocated for or criticized various potential candidates.
With the November election looming, Harris had to make a decision quickly. When she announced on August 6 that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz would be her running mate, it earned her and her team some applause within the Democratic Party.
After Biden’s announcement of stepping down and endorsing Harris, she immediately appointed former Attorney General Eric Holder and Biden’s former White House legal advisor Dana Remus to lead the selection process for a new vice-presidential running mate.
Holder, a senior cabinet member in the Obama administration, is familiar to Harris from their time working closely when she served as California’s Attorney General. Holder and Remus led a team composed of researchers and seasoned political figures, formally reviewing nine candidates and continuously narrowing down the list.
As a biracial woman with Indian and Jamaican heritage, Harris needed to balance demographic concerns on the ballot, meaning she needed a white running mate, much like how America’s first black president, Barack Obama, chose then-Senator Joe Biden as his running mate in the 2008 election.
Insiders familiar with the process indicated that Harris and her team considered practical electoral concerns and her personal comfort level with potential governing partners.
Harris’s team quickly narrowed down a shortlist of three Democratic governors: Roy Cooper from North Carolina, Andy Beshear from Kentucky, and Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania.
Shapiro had long been considered a top contender for the vice-presidential slot due to his popularity in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state with 19 electoral votes that could prevent Trump from reaching the 270-vote threshold. Shapiro has known Harris for nearly two decades.
Cooper deserves recognition for winning two gubernatorial terms in a state where Trump won twice. His tenure as North Carolina’s Attorney General coincided with Harris’s time in the same position in California, leading to cooperation on multistate lawsuits and facilitating a close working relationship with Harris. In recent months, they even campaigned together in North Carolina.
However, Cooper privately conveyed to Holder and Remus’s team that he was not interested in undergoing vetting for the vice-presidential position.
Beshear of Kentucky also won twice as a Democratic governor in a solidly Republican state. The 46-year-old Beshear’s criticisms of Johnson resonated with Democratic voters.
Other vice presidential candidates on the list included Governor J.B. Pritzker from Illinois, Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the only early female contender, drew attention and herself is widely seen as a potential future presidential candidate. However, she publicly stated her willingness to serve as Harris’s campaign chair rather than as a running mate.
Governor Walz of Minnesota emerged as a dark horse. Initially, he was only on the expanded list for Harris’s campaign team, seemingly just another name in the talent pool. But a key moment brought Walz into the spotlight.
On July 23, just two days after Biden’s withdrawal, Walz appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show and made a satirical remark about Trump and Johnson.
Walz casually said, “These people are just weird.” His use of the term “weird” quickly went viral on the Internet.
Over the years, including Biden and Harris, Democrats have consistently launched “noble” attacks on Trump. This Minnesota governor summed it up with a single word, “weird.”
Social media played its part, and Harris’s campaign team took notice. Within days, Harris and other vice-presidential contenders began using the term “weird” to characterize Trump and Johnson.
Walz won his first gubernatorial election in Minnesota in 2018, and re-elected in 2022.
On July 27 and 28 weekend, Harris made her first campaign tour as a presidential candidate, while the contenders on her vice presidential list also appeared in the media, showcasing their auditions.
Pritzker of Illinois was the first to sit down for an interview, smoothly transitioning to the issue of potential running mates. Then, in a nonchalant follow-up sentence, he commented on the complexity of the vice-presidential vetting process, ensuring everyone knew he was on the list. He even released a campaign-style ad highlighting his success in Illinois.
Whitmer of Michigan reiterated her position of not being considered as Harris’s running mate, delicately expressing excitement at the prospect of two women running for president and vice president together – indicating that the likelihood of the two women running mates was slim.
On July 28 (Sunday), Beshear of Kentucky traveled to Georgia, intensifying his attacks against Johnson and underlining his ability to win in Republican territory.
On the 29th, Shapiro attended a campaign event in the suburbs of Philadelphia, with Whitmer by his side. Shapiro praised Harris, himself, saying, “We’ve done a lot in the federal government.”
His speaking style even evoked comparisons to former President Obama, as Shapiro was seen as imitating Obama.
While contenders were publicly auditioning, Holder and Remus delved into their lives, personal records, and public statements. Harris’s campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon also helped provide potential promotion services for these contenders.
As the list narrowed down to the final candidates, Senator Kelly and Governor Shapiro emerged as the primary competitors.
Kelly, in Arizona—an entrenched Republican stronghold—won two fiercely contested Senate elections—one special, one regular. Additionally, his impressive record as a military veteran and former astronaut left a lasting effect. Kelly’s experience in handling immigration issues in this border state during his tenure as a senator, and his good relationship with border law enforcement officials, worked to his advantage.
However, Kelly’s stance on labor posed the most significant threat. He held reservations in Congress about Democratic labor legislation, causing some union leaders to also approach him with caution.
Meanwhile, Shapiro’s Jewish background stirred negative attention from the left. Despite no fundamental differences in his stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict from Harris and his persistent criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, some Democratic leftists worried about Shapiro’s commitment to continuing military aid to Israel if he were to enter the White House with Harris.
Furthermore, a source revealed to the Associated Press that Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman sent negative information about Shapiro to Harris’s team last week. Fetterman portrayed Shapiro as a politically opportunistic figure with his own ambitions through an intermediary acting as an envoy.
North Carolina Governor Cooper announced on July 29 that he no longer wished to be considered.
On July 31, the United Auto Workers (UAW) officially endorsed Harris’s presidential campaign. UAW’s chair, Shawn Fain, informed Harris’s vice-presidential vetting team that the union was not enthusiastic about Shapiro or Kelly but favored Governors Beshear and Walz.
While different factions within the Democratic Party continued to debate between Kelly and Shapiro, Walz garnered strong support from House Democrats, especially from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Although Pelosi claimed neutrality and refrained from advising the presidential candidate on the choice of running mate, a former aide informed the AP that the former Speaker had a “very close relationship” with Walz. This influence showcased Pelosi’s status as a heavyweight elder within the party, especially after persuading Biden to withdraw in a recent private conversation, highlighting her standing as a party stalwart.
According to Politico magazine, some House Democrats covertly lobbied Harris’s team to select Walz to see a “real House-knowledgeable person” on the presidential ticket, as Walz had served as a federal congressman for 12 years.
Both Biden and Harris were former federal senators before entering the White House. Insiders revealed to Politico that Pelosi’s influence backed Walz’s congressional allies in their lobbying efforts.
Walz first won election to Congress in 2006. During Walz’s initial term in Congress, Pelosi became the first female Speaker in U.S. history. Despite numerous Republican waves, Walz held his ground for 12 years in his rural swing district, including when Trump won his district by a 15-point margin in 2016.
During his congressional tenure, Walz supported abortion rights, backed labor unions, advocated for LGBTQ+ rights, co-chaired the House Sportsmen’s Caucus, and was a member of the Veteran Affairs Committee and the Agriculture Committee. This made Walz a strong ally among moderate and progressive House Democrats.
Walz’s allies believed he could help counter Johnson as Trump’s running mate. However, some in Harris’s circle initially expressed concerns about Harris’s compatibility with Walz, pointing out that his performance in the House was at times “abrasive” due to his lack of hesitation in engaging in public disputes with colleagues.
On July 30, Harris took the stage in Atlanta for her largest campaign rally to date. When Harris used Walz’s coined term “weird” to attack her opponents Trump and Johnson during her speech, she immediately drew cheers from nearly ten thousand supporters present.
At that moment, Walz was considered an “info-maker” and emerged as a true contender among the vice-presidential selections.
On that day, Harris’s campaign team also announced plans for her and her potential running mate to embark on a multi-day tour of battleground states. The first stop was slated for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, leading to speculation that Governor Shapiro might be Harris’s running mate. Yet, Harris’s team insisted she hadn’t made a final decision.
By August 1, Holder and Remus’s team concluded the first round of vetting for the candidates.
On August 2, a small group composed of Harris’s advisors and inner circle conducted interviews with several potential vice-presidential contenders. The group members included former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, senior advisor Cedric Richmond, and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.
On August 3 (last Saturday), the three along with Holder, Remus, and O’Malley Dillon presented recommendations and endorsement statements to Harris in the Vice Presidential Residence in Washington. Harris carefully studied the information, discussed various options with them.
Ultimately, they collectively settled on three finalists for the final decision: Governor Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Senator Kelly, and Governor Walz of Minnesota.
On August 4 (last Sunday), Harris welcomed Shapiro, Kelly, and Walz to her Naval Observatory residence for in-person interviews.
According to insiders speaking to the Associated Press, Harris’s discussion with Walz was particularly noteworthy. After the interview, Walz explicitly conveyed to Harris’s team that he felt he had more work to do in leading the federal government and was dedicated to supporting Harris.
Following a series of interviews and conversations, Harris was leaning towards choosing Walz, but she wanted to take some time to rethink her decision.
On August 5 (Monday), Harris continued her deliberations. Her staff remained prepared for various scenarios, even dispatching “action teams” to the three finalists, aiding each in crafting unique “acceptance speech” until Harris made the final decision.
By Tuesday morning (the 6th), Harris’s sentiments remained unchanged from Monday night—she was ready to partner with Walz on the campaign. Later in the Tuesday evening, Harris finally prepared to call the finalists, including Shapiro and Kelly, to inform them of her decision to choose someone else.
Harris’s 2020 Democratic primary campaign co-chair Bakari Sellers praised, “I believe that Walz is just the right person of trust and admiration for her (Harris). He is essentially a vice president himself, knowing what the vice presidential job entails, and she wants someone who backs her.”
However, it seems Walz wasn’t quite ready to receive Harris’s call. When Harris dialed his number for the first time, displaying a restricted number, Walz did not pick up. It wasn’t until Harris called again that Walz answered.
During the call, Harris told Walz, “Listen, I want you to do this with me. Let’s do this together. Are you willing to be my running mate?”