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With just three months until the presidential election, Kamala Harris will announce her running mate on Tuesday before the two head out on a five-day campaign tour of America’s hottest battleground states.
Since the US vice president replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, her campaign has moved at lightning speed, breaking fundraising records and wiping out the lead built up by Republican rival Donald Trump.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a rising Democratic star, is considered the favorite to join Harris as the vice presidential candidate, ahead of several other governors, a U.S. senator and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
US media reported on Monday that Harris has narrowed one of the most consequential choices of her political career to Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz and may make her decision public with a video announcement.
With less than a day before their trip to battleground states begins, Harris is still keeping her running mate in suspense, telling supporters in a text message Monday night that “I haven’t decided yet.”
Harris, 59, and her new deputy will hold a rally at Temple University in Philadelphia on Tuesday before traveling to Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday, Arizona on Friday and Nevada on Saturday.
She had planned to hold events at campaign stops in North Carolina on Thursday and Georgia on Friday, but local media reported that a tropical storm bearing down on the southeastern states had forced the postponements. The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for details.
Shapiro is extremely popular in Pennsylvania — the largest of the six or seven swing states in recent U.S. elections — and is seen as giving Harris a boost in real estate, a sector that both Democrats and Republicans must win.
The 51-year-old woman will become the first Jewish vice president of the United States, further enriching the diversity of American presidential candidates, and will become the only woman in American history to enter the White House.
However, his support for Israel and his handling of pro-Palestinian protests have sparked a backlash on the left, with Democrats eager to ensure their mid-August convention in Chicago is not marred by progressives and anti-Israel activists.
– Tough battle –
Regardless, Shapiro’s supporters argue that the criticism is rooted in anti-Semitism, and many analysts believe his moderate image wins him votes among centrists but not the progressive fringe.
Waltz, 60, a former National Guard officer who exudes a folksy charm, brings a rural Midwestern perspective to the candidacy but is seen as coming from the liberal wing of the party.
In recent weeks, he has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most effective communicators, gaining significant attention for his criticism of Trump and running mate JD Vance as “weird.”
Other unlikely contenders include Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and military veteran, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a longtime friend of Harris’s, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
On July 21, after 81-year-old Biden withdrew from the race, Harris took the initiative to sign up and began looking for a running mate.
Trump, who had been facing growing concerns about his low approval ratings and advancing age, has seen his approval rating surge after escaping an assassination attempt and presiding over a unifying party convention at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Harris’s support has since continued to grow, according to multiple recent polls, with a Morning Consult poll showing Harris leading Trump by 4 points nationally, 48% to 44%.
But a new CBS News poll found Harris trailing far behind Biden (who beat Trump in 2020) among Black voters, prompting some senior Democrats to warn against complacency.
“She has momentum, but if you look at the polls, it’s still a close race,” David Axelrod, a former strategist for Barack Obama, told The Hill. “It’s going to be a tough fight for both parties.”
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