Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona sent the media into a frenzy after a since-deleted post to social media suggesting he’d exited Kamala Harris‘ search for a vice presidential nominee.
Kelly, seen by many as one of the favorites to get the nod, wrote on X Sunday evening: ‘I spent my life in the Navy and at NASA, where the mission always comes first. Now, my mission is serving Arizonans’.
The ‘serving Arizonans’ line made many speculate that meant he’d lost his chance to take Harris’ former slot on the ticket after he, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota were scheduled for in-person interviews earlier in the day.
However, Kelly – a former astronaut – got rid of the post within 30 minutes of publishing and soon replaced it with another.
‘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,’ he wrote.
Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona sent the media into a frenzy after a since-deleted post to social media suggesting he’d exited Kamala Harris ‘ search for a vice presidential nominee
A spokesperson for Kelly said that this wasn’t meant to suggest anything in his own post later in the evening.
Jacob Peters wrote: ‘An Arizona senator tweeting about being an Arizona senator is not news! Go back to your Sundays everybody!’
Pages of documents submitted by each of the candidates have been collated by a group of lawyers led by former Attorney General Eric Holder and former White House counsel Dana Remus into briefing books, CNN reports.
They are currently being waded through by Harris along with the team who will support her VP which has already been selected and includes a former Biden aide.
The Harris campaign is also planning a social media announcement featuring the duo, officials familiar with the arrangements told Reuters.
The Vice President and her selection will embark on a battleground tour next week with stops in seven swing states from Pennsylvania to Nevada.
The short list of candidates reportedly includes Kelly, Shapiro, Walz, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Kelly is seen as one of the favorites in the race to become Kamala Harris’ running mate
Harris met with Buttigieg for 90 minutes on Friday. The candidates will be informed on Monday night or Tuesday morning whether they were picked, the sources said.
Suggestions have been pouring in from all corners including the likes of former president Barack Obama, which will be taken into considering along with a thorough interview process CNN reports.
Advice has been flooding in from all corners, including from her government chief of staff Lorraine Voles or her brother-in-law Tony West or campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, who helped Biden pick Harris in 2020 – has been weighing in with advice.
The influence of Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff is also said to be heavily underestimated.
Harris reportedly values the way she was welcomed into president Joe Biden’s family shortly after her selection and understands the importance of making a personal connection in addition to her typical pragmatic approach.
Harris’ decision to kick off the tour in Pennsylvania has triggered speculation that her VP might be Shapiro. Her team insists she is still deciding, but a tweet from Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker appeared to confirm he was the choice.
The choice of a running mate is one of the most consequential decisions of Harris’ political career, as she hastily pulls together a campaign to challenge Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month.
Her shortlist includes all white men with a record of winning over rural, white or independent voters.
Harris’ decision also influences the future direction of the Democratic Party, elevating the chosen candidate to the front of the line for future presidential contests.
