Veepstakes! (Updated)
Friday, Aug 2, 2024 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Politico…
Kamala Harris is preparing for the final stage of selecting a running mate: face-to-face interviews.
She has yet to meet with any of the vice presidential finalists in person. But Harris plans to do so in the coming days, the last step in an unusually condensed vetting process before a public rollout next week that includes a rally Tuesday in Philadelphia.
* NBC Chicago…
As speculation over who Vice President Kamala Harris will choose as her running mate picks up, with multiple Democratic governors canceling weekend obligations ahead of an expected decision, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker doesn’t appear to be sweating the spotlight too much.
Appearing on MSNBC, Pritzker alluded to recent scheduling changes made by Governors Tim Walz, Josh Shapiro and Andy Beshear as all of them are rumored to be among the finalists to be Harris’ running mate.
Pritzker joked that he had to cancel a performance at Lollapalooza with Blink 182 on Sunday due to being in consideration to join the presidential ticket. […]
According to NBC News, Pritzker is one of six candidates that have met with that vetting team in recent days. Reports indicate that Harris’ vetting team has also met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
* Sun-Times…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker met twice with Kamala Harris’ vetting team this week — as the race to find a running mate winds down.
Pritzker met virtually with the team on Monday and Wednesday, according to a source with direct knowledge of the meetings. The Democratic governor began submitting vetting materials last week and has been asked for several follow-up materials.
The longest meeting occurred Monday, the source said. Former Attorney General Eric Holder is leading the vetting process, along with former Biden White House General Counsel Dana Remus, who has led the Pritzker calls. […]
Also on Thursday, 90 members of Illinois unions, including members of LIUNA and the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130, signed a letter in support of Pritzker as vice president, calling the governor “a steadfast ally to Union families” and “a tireless leader who gets big things done.”
* Tribune…
Also on Thursday, the leaders of Illinois abortion rights political action committee Personal PAC and Men4Choice Advocacy sent a letter to Harris urging her to choose Pritzker.
“At a time when support for our individual liberties and for bodily autonomy could not be more important, Gov. Pritzker’s unwavering commitment, demonstrated by decades of allyship and activism in support of abortion rights, access, and so much more, speaks volumes about his character and priorities,” wrote Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick and Men4Choice Advocacy Executive Director Oren Jacobson. […]
In another development Thursday, Pritzker got a boost from some of Illinois’ most powerful businesspeople, 40 of whom sent a letter to Harris’ campaign pushing for him to be picked as her running mate.
Those who sent the letter are heads of some of the biggest development and investment organizations in Chicago. Many are also big Democratic fundraisers and contributors.
Thoughts?
…Adding… NBC Senior National Politics reporter Natasha Korecki…
- NewToSpringfield - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:08 am:
I love Pritzker. Would be a great President one day. He shouldn’t be VP–this ticket does not need to be “California and Chicago radical liberals”, Illinois will benefit from him finishing his term, and there are better options from more electorally important states.
That said, I think Harris and her team realize all that, but they’re casting a wide net, as they should.
- Nick Name - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:15 am:
As much as Trump is losing his mind over having to run against Harris, I think Harris having Pritzker as a running mate - with practical unlimited personal funds to throw at the campaign - would put him in total meltdown mode.
- cermak_rd - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:20 am:
I like his sense of humor. And he got out an advertisement that his state does Lollapalooza.
- Cat lady - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:24 am:
As much as I love Pritzker, I am hoping the VP pick is Tim Walz. He seems like the perfect compliment to the ticket. He has a way of talking about issues that just might sway a few rural and populist voters.
- Downstate - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:28 am:
Pritzker’s position may have improved by the anti-Israel wing throwing up roadblocks to Shapiro (PA).
But that group is not going to throw their hat wit Trump just because Shapiro is on the ticket. Shapiro or Kelly are the more logical choice.
I spoke with my PA friend last night. Shapiro is a unapologetic friend of Israel. With 80% of the population supporting Israel, I think he helps rather than hurts on that issue.
- Mike Gascoigne - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:31 am:
I don’t mind Pritzker, but I am hoping she chooses Beshear. I think he has the widest appeal of all the candidates. But we will see.
- TJ - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:32 am:
I think that Beshear or Walz are the best options in terms of being vice president, but man alive I can’t imagine turning down the governor of Pennsylvania as a running mate option in 2024 for the purposes of getting to 270 electoral votes.
- An Idea - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:33 am:
He is the type of guy that would appeal to people in CA, IL or NY and thats it, he has the money to run for a position anywhere in the country if he wanted to yet he chose to run here as it was the path of least resistance.
The smart pick is Shapiro, but given his school choice ideas I would assume he is picked solely to deliver PA.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:44 am:
Harris needs a swing state win in addition to a capable and likable ticket balancer. Pritzker would help with #2 but not #1.
- Gravitas - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:47 am:
Pritzker is not a serious contender for the Vice Presidential spot. Illinois is not in play as a battleground state. Harris needs to select a moderate from a contested state. Since Minnesota, a usually reliable state for the Democrats, may be in play for the first time in decades, I expect Walz to be given serious consideration.
- Roman - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:53 am:
== given his school choice ideas I would assume he is picked solely to deliver PA. ==
No doubt, Shapiro chief asset is his ability to deliver PA. But his school choice stance can be a political asset too, albeit a much smaller one. It’s a general election, not a primary. Anything that helps place the ticket in the middle of the ideological spectrum (like Harris’ background as a prosecutor) is a plus in swing states. And it’s not like the teachers unions would suddenly support Trump-Vance because of Shapiro’s lack of purity.
- Nick Name - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 9:59 am:
If current polling trends continue, Harris is going to have the battleground states sewn up by November. I don’t think she necessarily needs a running mate from a battleground state.
And by the way, Walz is not a moderate.
- levivotedforjudy - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:01 am:
To me, JB’s temperament, vision, consistency and ability to get things done are fantastic. But IL is the wrong home state for a Harris VP pick. This is raising is profile nationally a lot. If Mark Kelly was a governor he would be a lock. I like Kelly but expect it to go to a governor (PA or Minn).
- Unionman - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:05 am:
Better for him not get the VP nod. If Harris loses it will be an open election in 4 years. The party will not want Harris as she lost. No incumbent on either side. He has a better chance of consolidating power. He also has at least two more years of being governor to further develop his bonafides.
- John Lopez - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:13 am:
=== Pritzker is not a serious contender for the Vice Presidential spot. ===
Agreed. The favorite clearly is PA Gov Josh Shapiro. So much, the Democratic Socialists of America published a vicious antisemitic letter against the Jewish governor & it’s being called out by Democrats including Congressmen Ritchie Torres (NY) and Jared Moskowitz (FL).
https://x.com/RitchieTorres/status/1817976854197719109
Given Harris’ VP announcement is in Philadelphia it’s hard not to believe it’s Governor Shapiro.
- dtownresident - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:18 am:
I would prefer Kelley or Walz. JB is the first governor in over 20 years to actually govern. May not agree with things but that alone has helped the state and having that change now would hurt.
- It's always Sunny in Illinois - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:19 am:
The reality is, they aren’t actually vetting Governor Pritzker, they are vetting his money for for the campaign. A feel good move to keep his checkbook close.
- WK - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:19 am:
Shapiro has been the smart pick from the beginning.
In terms of Pritzker, let’s be real about what it is. He’s pouring money into races nationally, no one wants that to stop. Pritzker wants to up his profile. They are dancing around like he’s a candidate to keep the faucet running and give him the attention he wants. Pritzker and Harris both win from this arrangement, but there is no way he is actually a top contender to be picked for VP.
- Cat lady - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:21 am:
Nick Name, polling has proven to be unreliable over the last few cycles but typically underestimates Dems performances. If the current polling is Harris’s floor, then you are correct that securing a swing state is unnecessary. And yes, Walz is pretty progressive but presents like a moderate, which seems quite ideal.
- Alton Sinkhole - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:34 am:
Pritzker is not going to be the pick nor should he be but hoping his team is having fun
- clec dcn - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:35 am:
JB would be a great choice has what the dems want. The only negative is Illinois is going to Harris and picking JB does not help in the swing states. Strictly speaking take JB and probably a great choice. That said I am no fan of Harris or JB. Trump has his work cut out to get elected but I sure hope he can.
- Alton Sinkhole - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 10:38 am:
Shapiro has a 61% approval rating in a true toss up state with as many electoral college votes as Illinois does. Not picking him would be malpractice of the highest order (unless vetting picked up something completely disqualifying)
- Karen - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:01 am:
Like choosing to root for the Cubs versus the White Sox, this will be a very difficult decision for Harris to make. All 4 VP candidates are outstanding, and, similar to Chicago baseball, have excelled for many years. I say let’s go with the hometown favorite and the one that’s best positioned to bring home the championship.
- Leap Day William - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:05 am:
Does the VP from a swing state really help deliver though? Looking back at the last 8 presidential elections, these are the VP candidates for the two major parties:
2020: Harris (California) / Pence (Indiana)
2016: Pence (Indiana) / Caine (Virginia)
2012: Biden (Delaware) / Ryan (Wisconsin)
2008: Biden (Delaware) / Palin (Alaska)
2004: Cheney (Wyoming) / Edwards (North Carolina)
2000: Cheney (Wyoming) / Lieberman (Connecticut)
1996: Gore (Tennessee) / Kemp (New York)
1992: Gore (Tennessee) / Quayle (Indiana)
1988: Quale (Indiana) / Bentsen (Texas)
I don’t know how much I would say Caine helped deliver Virginia for Hillary. Ryan certainly didn’t deliver Wisconsin for Romney and Edwards didn’t do anything for Gore, who didn’t even win his home state.
In digging into this, I did find that Bush Sr. was the last sitting Vice President to get elected President, but the last one before him was Martin Van Buren in 1836, so that’s a neat thing.
- Nick Name - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:06 am:
@Cat lady - thanks.
And Walz does not always present a a moderate. On the White Dudes for Harris call earlier this week, he said: “Don’t ever shy away from your progressive values. One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”
Definitely not a moderate.
- Wonky Kong - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:07 am:
Shapiro makes the most sense and has since the beginning.
Pritzker getting vetted is about helping him with his profile and stroking his ego to keep the dollars rolling. Everybody wins but he’s not a real finalist.
- Anonymous - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:11 am:
“…90 members of Illinois unions, … , signed a letter in support of Pritzker as vice president…”
Given recent issues with Teamsters, I would doubt they signed the letter.
That being said, it’s more likely they are laying the groundwork for continued support and backing from Pritzker for the rest of the campaign.
- From DaZoo - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:12 am:
Oops. Anonymous @ 11:11 was me.
- ChicagoVinny - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:13 am:
I think people weigh the swing-state thing too much. Who’s the last winning VP to hail from a swing state? Al Gore? That was 28 years ago.
- Blitz - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:13 am:
I hate to be this selfish, but I just don’t want Pritzker to leave his current position. When he first ran I was an extreme doubter and voted third party. Since then he has moved to a position in my mind where he would have to do something truly awful to not have my vote, he turned me around that much.
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:16 am:
I think Pritzker is getting a closer look than he otherwise would have given the strong Emily’s List and union support. I don’t think it will get him to the finish line, though. Shapiro seems like the odds on favorite. But I suppose if Pritzker was like, “I’ll dedicate half a billion dollars to the race,” Harris could be swayed. Money talks. And Trump having to run against someone wealthier than him would be fun to watch.
- thechampaignlife - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:17 am:
===I like Kelly but expect it to go to a governor===
Yep, he is likely too valuable in the Senate given the razor-thin majority.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:26 am:
===The smart pick is Shapiro===
I dunno. Have you seen the coverup story?
- NewToSpringfield - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:36 am:
===I dunno. Have you seen the coverup story?===
It isn’t ideal (and on a moral level I’d rather not someone like that hold national office), but as a political liability… Could the GOP really make that argument without drawing attention to Trump?
- Rich Miller - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:37 am:
=== Could the GOP really make that argument without drawing attention to Trump? ===
They don’t have to. The news media will do it for them.
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/josh-shapiro-mike-vereb-sexual-harassment-vp-20240729.html
- Demoralized - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:38 am:
While I like Pritzker and think he would be great I just don’t know what he brings to the ticket from an electoral perspective. I think Kelly or Walz would be the best choice.
- Montrose - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:51 am:
Plot twist! - Michelle Obama. Have to keep it spicy.
(I actually think and hope it is Beshear. Pritzker would unfairly get tied to all the false/bad depictions of Chicago that the right has been cultivating for years.)
- Proud Papa Bear - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 11:53 am:
“ Does the VP from a swing state really help deliver though?”
I agree with you. There’s a school of thought that seems to stem from freshmen-level political science classes that states that a veep candidate must come from a battleground state, yet that never seems to work. Ask Presidents John Kerry or Hillary Clinton how that went for them.
It’s impossible to assign how much a veep candidate actually brings to a ticket but I believe geography is overblown.
- Steve - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 12:01 pm:
JB is strong VP candidate. He’s effective at attacking Trump. It doesn’t matter that Illinois isn’t a swing state. I’m not aware of any studies in American Political Science Review that suggests that the people vote based on who the VP is. JB brings to the table an effective voice at attacking Trump.
- TJ - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 12:04 pm:
== Plot twist! - Michelle Obama. Have to keep it spicy. ==
a) Michelle Obama has never wanted to be in elected office. She’s sensibly had enough already.
b) There are way too many fragile white men that’d freak out at the idea of a major party ticket without a white dude on it, Dems included among them.
Given everything, my hunch is that it’ll come down to Shapiro or Walz. Shapiro seems to have more knocks against him, but I really can’t downplay the importance of a) Pennsylvania and b) being able to have a running mate to stump in Michigan and Wisconsin. I think Walz absolutely can do the latter, but I think Shapiro helps more in PA than Walz would for obvious reasons.
- DuPage Saint - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 12:36 pm:
@Karen. Like choosing between the Cubs and White Sox? Gosh i really hope not you would think Harris would want to go with a winner
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 12:43 pm:
There’s a thought that Harris wants to pick someone who’s going to get the electoral win, not energize the base. Pritzker has accomplished great things, that are popular with many. He can point to his liberal record unabashedly, and help with suburban moderates (pro-business and good fiscal management). Harris should assuredly know more than the peanut gallery, and her pick might rub certain people the wrong way, but actually help win.
- Gravitas - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 12:46 pm:
Minnesota is unique: its two major parties are actually fusion parties — Democrat-Farm-Labor and Independent Republican.
As for progressives, it is baked into the DFL.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 12:54 pm:
= governor of Pennsylvania as a running mate option in 2024 for the purposes of getting to 270 electoral votes.=
School choice is a problem. That and Shapiro’s full-throated defense of Israel is as well. The lefties who abandoned Joe and are coming to Harris in droves would back right out. The latter alone could cost her Michigan.
=Given Harris’ VP announcement is in Philadelphia it’s hard not to believe it’s Governor Shapiro.=
No Veep announcement since at least 1972 has been held in the VP candidate’s home state.
- JS Mill - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 1:00 pm:
A candidate that chooses a running mate to deliver a single state, even if it is California or Texas, is not smart. The idea isn’t smart. The VP can be value added for a ticket, but what they want is usually someone who is an excellent campaigner. Tough and good on their feet. Pritzker, Shapiro, Bashear, and Kelly are all of those and more (I don’t know much about Walz). Kelly offers some bonafides that the others cannot offer and those issues resonate with the middle very well. Military service with combat time, Astronaut (I mean seriously, maybe the most all-American kid thing ever for gen xers) he can’t be called a gun grabber (they will anyway because the nra just has to), and he has the right stance on immigration from a frontline state to appeal to the middle. I think he is the best one for the job. I think our governor is great and he would not be a liability as a campaigner, but I would rather he stay here.
- Jerry - Friday, Aug 2, 24 @ 1:01 pm:
I hope Harris does not choose JB. But I do love the joke about “blink-182″.