Staff Reports
Speculation is brewing faster than the coffee at a cross-country truck stop as Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to select a running mate for the upcoming election. With President Joe Biden—bless his heart—stepping aside to throw his support behind Harris, the spotlight has shifted to who will share the ticket with her, promising a dramatic twist in another Democratic saga.
One name that seems to stand out amid the cacophony of candidates is none other than Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. This unexpected contender has recently been quite vocal about his enthusiasm for Harris’s leadership as she gears up for her presidential run. During an appearance on the left-leaning MSNBC, he gushed about the quality of their “great conversations,” despite having just inches of actual road to show for his time as the Secretary. In a display that could only be described as overly eager, Buttigieg mentioned his travels and experiences alongside her, all while tiptoeing around the idea of stepping into the role of Vice President without a definitive commitment.
Buttigieg insists that Harris knows best and will chart her own course when it comes to selecting a running mate. One has to wonder: is he hoping that being on par with her on the ticket will magically turn his pedestrian political career into something resembling a bright future? After all, he’s confident that she is destined to lead the party and the country. Perhaps he’s just a tad too optimistic if he believes a return to the campaign trail will magically fix the bruises the Democrats endured in the 2020 election.
JUST IN: Surprising New Candidate For Kamala's VP Emerges https://t.co/MPI6COwbiG
— Brian Staples (@BrianSt03826698) July 25, 2024
As the Democratic National Convention looms, Harris will have her pick of a star-studded lineup of potential vice presidential candidates. The list includes some heavyweights—like the aforementioned Buttigieg, along with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth. It’s a list that reads more like a “who’s who” of Democratic fallback options than a dream ticket. Other contenders include Stacey Abrams, whose fiery commitment to voting rights has yet to translate into election victories, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, infamous for his state’s ongoing struggles.
If Harris is to make a name for herself and not just be viewed as a footnote in the Biden administration, she will need to pick wisely. Reflecting on her 2020 presidential campaign, it’s worth remembering her ability to speak passionately during Senate hearings and her time as a prosecutor. Nevertheless, her rise was marred by a series of missteps, including her own convoluted positions on healthcare and law enforcement, making many voters question her reliability. If anything screams “consistency issues,” it’s a candidate whose previous path to nomination was paved with an impressive mix of fire and fizzle.
While Biden prepares for a speech to further elaborate on his endorsement of Harris—the kind of political theater that typically features bewildered faces in the audience, unsure whether to clap or cringe—the Trump campaign has piped up with its own demands by lodging a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission. They’re claiming that any money raised for Biden shouldn’t be sloshed over to fund Harris’s campaign, a legal maneuver that underlines the growing contention leading up to the November elections. As the political pot continues to simmer, it remains to be seen how Harris will balance this precarious ticket selection along with the mounting pressures that come with it.
