Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has emerged as a top choice to be Vice President Kamala Harris‘ running mate in the 2024 presidential election, some recent polls show.
President Joe Biden announced this month he was stepping down from the race and threw his support behind Harris as the Democratic candidate. Harris has received endorsements from many other Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, but she will need to choose a running mate soon.
Many names have been floated, such as Buttigieg and governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Andy Beshear of Kentucky. However, several recent polls have shown Buttigieg as a top choice among Democratic voters.
A poll conducted by PBS News/NPR/Marist this month found 21 percent of voters saying they’d like to see Harris choose Buttigieg. Whitmer also received 21 percent in the poll, while 17 percent sided with Shapiro and 13 percent said Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
On Thursday, the University of New Hampshire released the results of a poll among Democratic voters in Maine that found Buttigieg as the leading choice with 21 percent, 17 percent for Kelly, 7 percent for Shapiro, 6 percent for Beshear and 3 percent for Whitmer.
The FairVote organization also released the results of its ranked choice poll that found Buttigieg as a top choice among Democratic or undecided voters. The poll gave respondents a number of choices for a Harris running mate and, in the ninth round of voting, 52 percent chose a ticket with Harris and Buttigieg on it, compared to 48 percent with Harris and Whitmer.
William Hill this week offered 14/1 (6.7 percent) on Buttigieg running as the Democrats’ vice presidential pick, but the odds improved to 4/1 (20 percent) as of 5 a.m. ET on Thursday. Kelly remained the firm favorite at 11/8 (42.1 percent), less than the 10/11 (52.4 percent) on Wednesday.
Newsweek reached out to a spokesperson for Harris and Biden via email for comment.
On Tuesday, Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison provided a timeline for Harris to choose a running mate.
“In order to be on the ballot in all 50 states, we have to have all of this wrapped up by August 7. So, if the nominee so chooses…we will likely have our VP nominee also by August 7,” Harrison said on MSNBC‘s Morning Joe.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
