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Kamala Harris’s veepstakes are coming down to a final shortlist of contenders, according to several Wall Street observers who say they are banking on several prominent names under consideration.
Axios first reported that left-leaning financial titans are being asked by the vice president’s campaign to contribute immediately, citing a financial rule that bars contributions to tickets featuring a sitting governor. That ask is fueling speculation that Harris is closing in on one or two Democrats who could be her running mate. In that scenario, U.S. senators like Mark Kelly (D-AZ) would be out of the race while a handful of others remain, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Another governor, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, said earlier this week that he does not want to be considered for the No. 2 spot.
With eliminations coming by the day, Wall Street’s Democrats believe they may have until Sunday to send in a final check before an announcement is made. Harris is expected to announce her running mate by Tuesday, when she will hold her first rally with her pick in Philadelphia, according to a report from Politico. The two candidates then plan to hold rallies in seven swing states over a span of four days. In addition to Philadelphia, Harris and her running mate will head to western Wisconsin, Detroit, Raleigh, Savannah, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.
Some insiders view Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro as the leading veep candidate, given that the announcement will be made in Philadelphia. In addition, Harris aides may be impressed by his ability to win the swing state in 2022 by about 15% compared to the 1.2% margin of victory President Joe Biden received in 2020. On Tuesday Harris indicated she has no plans to institute a federal ban on fracking, the controversial energy production method that has made Pennsylvania a natural gas powerhouse. The move, reported by Politico, is another sign that Gov. Shapiro, a fracking proponent, has the vice president’s ear on matters of importance to his home state.
Recent polls have put Harris in a dead heat with former President Donald Trump, and on Wednesday a set of dueling polls gave each candidate a narrow lead in Pennsylvania. The all-important Rust Belt state may decide the election, given that Harris’s reelection strategy largely relies on abandoning Democrats’ “Blue Wall” of midwestern states in favor of southern strongholds where Black and Hispanic voters make up larger shares of the electorates. President Trump, who enjoys historic levels of support among minority voters, now must fight to defend his gains against the country’s first Black female presidential nominee.
The selection of a vice president may either buttress the Harris campaign or saddle it with baggage. President Trump has seen his share of both since the selection of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) earlier this month. Vance, who has propelled himself to the national spotlight on the strength of his hardscrabble upbringing, brings serious policy chops to the ticket and is expected to perform well in a debate. Democrats were quick to highlight contentious comments he previously made about “childless cat ladies” running the Democratic Party, forcing the GOP’s No. 2 to walk back his remarks in subsequent interviews.