Vice President Kamala Harris will reportedly announce her running mate on Tuesday during a rally in Philadelphia. Politico reports that the Democrat ticket will visit seven swing states in four days, in addition to Pennsylvania: Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.
It seems like Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) have been auditioning the most out of the options listed.
We don’t know who Harris’ running mate will be yet, but if there is any hint, it will be Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), who has already been on the campaign trail with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to “mobilize” voters, and the fact that this rally will take place in Philadelphia.
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Per the Politico story (linked above):
A Harris campaign aide cautioned against reading too much into the first city chosen for the tour.
Harris said a decision about her No. 2 spot on ticket has not been finalized. Asked by reporters on Tuesday if she has selected her running mate, she said “not yet.”
Democrats view Pennsylvania as one of the “must-win” states, so Shapiro would make sense. Unless this is some type of a diversion tactic, and she might pick somebody completely different who has not been mentioned by the media, all the candidates listed above come with their own baggage; although, the media will likely focus on Trump-Vance much more than Harris and her running mate in the lead-up to the November election.
Some Democrats have already started comparing Shapiro to former President Barack Obama and even Martin Luther King Jr:
As someone who’s thought deeply about effective public speaking, I’m dazzled by Josh Shapiro’s technique. Just watch this speech: starting at the 24” mark he goes into an MLK-inspired cadence…and somehow pulls it off as a middle-aged white dude from PA!pic.twitter.com/YOvuw6ZCpW
— Steve Ilardi (@dr_ilardi) July 30, 2024
The Democrats have new optimism since Biden stepped aside as they will be focusing on North Carolina and Florida, per the DNC chairman Jaime Harrison.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison: “Don’t Sleep” On Florida And North Carolina — Democrats Have Real Energy On The Groundhttps://t.co/1din0qyfyv
I’m an acolyte of Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy.” pic.twitter.com/YX9rxar2dx
— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) July 28, 2024
But as former GOP presidential candidate, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) correctly pointed out, the Democrats will be wasting resources in Florida because it has become a red state. That spells good news for the GOP if the Dems spend time in a state they believe they can win, but in reality, DeSantis has turned the Sunshine State from purple to red due to his effective governing. He posted on X:
I really hope Harris spends/wastes a lot of time and resources in Florida.
We have Floridians who moved to our state to escape the policies of San Francisco Democrats. Implementing those policies nationally under a Harris administration is a non-starter.
Kamala has no chance in the Sunshine State.
I really hope Harris spends/wastes a lot of time and resources in Florida.
We have Floridians who moved to our state to escape the policies of San Francisco Democrats. Implementing those policies nationally under a Harris administration is a non-starter.
Kamala has no chance… https://t.co/PO4nxsDnsw
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) July 30, 2024
Regardless of Harris’ VP pick, the Trump-Vance campaign should remain steadfast in its strategy. They need to concentrate on the economy, border security, unrest around the world, and promoting U.S. energy independence.
