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Senator Mark Kelly stokes VP speculation after deleting cryptic post as Kamala Harris ‘interviews top finalists for job’
The Democratic nominee will reportedly announce her pick on Tuesday
ARIZONA senator Mark Kelly appeared to stir up speculation about Kamala Harris' Democratic vice presidential pick following a cryptic message online.
Kelly, who has long been on the short list as the potential running mate on the presidential ticket, had since-deleted his bizarre post.
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Harris has reportedly narrowed it down to six vice president candidates and was scheduled to meet with three of them on Sunday at her Washington, DC, residence.
The Democratic presidential candidate has specifically reserved one-on-one time with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, as well as Kelly, according to an anonymous source who spoke to the Washington Post.
The vice president stole the world's attention when she rallied support from Democratic Party members within just hours of President Joe Biden's shocking announcement that he would not seek re-election in November.
On Friday, Harris officially secured the Democratic Party's nomination for president in the 2024 election, marking the first time a woman of color has led a national ticket in American history.
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STOKED SPECULATION
With the Democratic candidate's place on the ballot secured, all eyes have turned to who will stand alongside her as running mate — and the clock is ticking.
Speculation continued into Sunday evening after a deleted X post from the Arizona Senator appeared to suggest that some decisions about Harris' short list have already been made.
The post, which went up Sunday afternoon, made some social media users think Kelly was no longer in the running for the ticket.
"My background is a bit different than most politicians," the deleted post read.
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"'I spent my life in the Navy and at NASA, where the mission always comes first. Now, my mission is serving Arizonans."
Kamala Harris officially secures Democratic nomination for president in unprecedented process after Biden dropped out
The direct focus on the Grand Canyon State had many wondering if the post meant Harris did not pick him as her running mate.
However, the post was soon taken down and replaced with another that again made users question if Harris had made her decision.
"Whether it was from my time in the Navy and at NASA, serving in the United States Senate, or visiting our troops overseas: I've learned that when your country asks you to serve, you always answer the call," the second X post read.
As many have been left wondering what the cryptic posts meant, Kelly's team quickly shut down rumors that the posts were related to the running mate search.
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"An Arizona senator tweeting about being an Arizona senator is not news!" Communication director Jacob Peters wrote in another X post.
"Go back to your Sundays everybody!"
It was not immediately clear if Kelly had met with Harris before or after the two social media posts were uploaded.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were two main notable arrivals at the vice presidents residence.
Photos reveal that a Chrysler Pacifica with Kentucky plates arrived at the residence just after 5 pm, however it was not immediately clear who was in the vehicle.
Reporters stationed outside Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear's mansion said the vehicle did not match any that have left in recent days.
Also on Sunday, photos show the arrival of former Attorney General Eric Holder, who's firm Covington & Burling completed the vetting process for the vice president short list.
The Harris presidential campaign announced last week that the presumptive nominee would name her vice presidential pick by Tuesday.
With less than two days to go, news that only Walz, Shapiro, and Kelly scored last-minute chances to make their cases to the next possible president has led many to believe that Harris is about to make her final decision.
As recently as Friday, at least three other top candidates were thought to be under the vice president's consideration.
But unlike the aforementioned trio, it is unclear if Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker were meeting with Harris this weekend — and what the meetings signify.
THE TOP SIX
Harris campaign spokespersons have said that they are looking beyond a VP candidate's electability.
All of the top finalists are white men, likely due to the assumption that voters would prefer a politically moderate white man to balance out the Democratic ticket, as reported by The Washington Post.
Beyond demographics, the ideal Democratic running mate will espouse the three Cs: competence, chemistry, and core values, campaign representatives told CNN.
The search team met with lawyers and investigators on Saturday to complete the deep vetting process that all high-level candidates must pass before receiving an official nomination.
Harris is scheduled to attend a rally with her running mate for the first time in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
The event will kick off the duo's first five-day campaign tour with stops in seven battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO
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Excitement over the possibility of the Pennsylvania governor joining Harris on the Democratic ticket began almost as soon as Biden gave up the nomination.
At a Harris campaign event in Philadelphia on July 26, speakers devoted significantly more time to discussing the merits of a possible Vice President Shapiro than to directing comments to Harris herself.
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Attendees also donated millions more dollars to her campaign than was originally expected, according to Politico.
The Pennslyvania governor had intended to attend fundraisers in the Hamptons this weekend but abruptly canceled those plans, Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonder told ABC News.
Some have speculated that Harris may be leaning toward Shapiro as a pick thanks to the expected debut of her running mate in Philadelphia, but the link could be coincidental.
MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ
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The governor of Minnesota has also been named a favorite for Democratic VP by campaign analysts.
Walz has been a vocal supporter of Harris for president and participated in several campaign events for the candidate.
He was recently credited with labeling Republicans as "weird," a description that has appeared to resonate with voters and even the top Democratic candidate, according to CNN.
"Some of what [Trump] and his running mate are saying is just plain weird," Harris said last week, echoing the governor's term.
Kamala Harris' potential running mates
Kamala Harris accepted Joe Biden's endorsed for the Democratic presidential nomination after the president ended his reelection bid on July 21
Harris said she plans to earn and win the Democratic nomination while uniting the party.
Who are Kamala Harris' potential running mates?
- Pete Buttigieg: US Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg ran for president during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, competing against both Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.
- He was widely regarded as a breakout star, becoming the first openly gay candidate to win a presidential primary or caucus when he narrowly won the Iowa caucus during the 2020 primaries.
- Buttigieg was one of the first Democrats to formally endorse Kamala Harris after President Biden.
- In his statement, Buttigieg said Harris was "the right person to take up the torch, defeat Donald Trump, and succeed Joe Biden as President."
- Andy Beshear: Governor Beshear has created a successful career in the heavily Republican state of Kentucky.
- The 46-year-old two-term governor fully endorsed Harris for president and said he would consider being her running mate.
- Gretchen Whitmer: Michigan Governor Whitmer has been viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party.
- In 2020, the two-term governor caught the eye of Joe Biden as a possible running mate before he ultimately selected Harris.
- Whitmer joined the growing list of Democrats who have backed Harris for president.
- A Harris-Whitmer campaign would be the first-all woman ticket for a US political party.
- Gavin Newsom: Prominent California Governor Newsom's name has long been linked to a potential presidential candidate in the upcoming election.
- Newsom has already backed Harris for president, saying, "No one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump's dark vision."
- But there may be a problem if Harris and Newsom are on the same ticket.
- Both Newsom and Harris hail from California, and under the 12th Amendment of the Constitution, both members of a presidential ticket shall "not be an inhabitant of the same state."
- If Harris were to pick Newsom as her running mate, they would forfeit all of California's 54 Electoral College votes.
- Josh Shapiro: Shapiro, the Governor of Pennsylvania, is a rising star within the Democratic Party establishment.
- His stock rocketed after cruising to victory in the 2022 gubernatorial election in the state, defeating Republican rival Doug Mastriano.
- Shapiro's margin of victory was greater than Joe Biden's when he defeated Donald Trump in 2020.
- Pennsylvania is one of the swing states that Trump is trying to win.
- Trump allies told NBC News that they think Shapiro would be a super strong running mate for Harris.
- Mark Kelly: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, 60, is also touted as one of the frontrunners.
- He possesses significant military experience, was a Navy combat pilot, and was formerly an astronaut.
- Allies of Harris believe he could help win over working-class voters as well as retain Arizona.
- Arizona is one of the Sun Belt states the Trump campaign is targeting.
Walz was scheduled to appear at a campaign event for Harris in New Hampshire on Sunday, but he, too, canceled the plans on short notice.
A governor spokesman said he would instead travel to Washington to talk to Harris, per CBS News.
ARIZONA SENATOR MARK KELLY
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Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut, represents a state less than 370 miles away from the border with Mexico — a quality that analysts believe could help Harris assuage complaints that she is weak on immigration policy, according to Arkansas Online.
Like Shapiro and Walz, the Washington Post reported that Kelly abruptly changed his plans this weekend.
Some labor groups have criticized the senator for opposing proposed legislation that could boost union organizing, and the senator has lost the support of the largest workers' group in the US — the United Auto Workers Union.
The former spaceman is married to former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 and has worked with his wife since then to bolster limitations on gun ownership, according to The Guardian.
KENTUCKY GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR
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The Kentucky governor canceled a scheduled event in his state on Friday without any official cause, fueling speculation that he may soon be tapped for the West Wing.
Beshear has the highest approval rating of any governor in the country at 67% — a big surprise given the historical political leanings of his state, according to a recent Morning Consult survey.
Trump turned the state red in the 2020 election with a whopping 26-point margin.
But Beshear has won over Kentucky in the two terms he's held office, thanks to his effective management of the pandemic, multiple natural crises, and public health issues, as reported by The Guardian.
The governor has painted his background in stark contrast to the Republican vice presidential nominee, Vance.
“I mean, there’s a county that JD Vance says he’s from in Kentucky – and I won it by 22 points last November,” Beshear said at a Georgia rally last weekend.
On the campaign trail, Vance often references his upbringing in Kentucky — the setting for his popular autobiographical book, Hill Billy Elegy.
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION PETE BUTTIGIEG
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Buttigieg became a household name when he ran for president in 2020 and, after pulling out, was tapped by Biden to become the Secretary of Transportation.
Originally from the Midwest, the 42-year-old is known as a highly effective domestic policy manager who has overseen several successful large-scale projects while in the White House, according to Politico.
He is popular among Democrats and many conservatives in the Rust Belt, and his military background is appealing to many voters.
But some worry that choosing Buttigieg would weigh down the Democratic ticket as a Biden do-over, with two previous administration officials on the ballot.
Others have suggested that adding the first openly gay candidate to the ticket might dissuade swing voters from voting for Harris.
ILLINOIS GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER
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The Harris campaign began holding meetings with the Illinois governor on Monday to discuss becoming the vice president, according to WBEZ.
Pritzker met with the Democratic nominee's campaign team virtually again on Wednesday, but further details about the chats have been kept tightly under wraps.
Several unions and workers groups have endorsed the governor, and dozens of them penned a letter in his support on Thursday.
“Illinois is the epicenter of the Labor Movement, and together we have done more to secure Workers’ Rights and restore respect for Union members with JB Pritzker in office than any other state in the nation and any other time in our state’s history,” the letter reads.
“As labor leaders in Illinois, we have a true partner for Union families in the Governor’s office and strongly urge Kamala Harris to select JB Pritzker as her running mate.”
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Chicago will host the upcoming Democratic National Convention beginning on August 19.
Although Harris has promised to announce her running mate by Tuesday at the latest, the name could be revealed as soon as tomorrow, per Reuters.
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