8/4/24

By Aditi Jha

There are a few final days now before former Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris picks her running mate. She's received a majority of the delegates to receive the Democratic nomination, but voting doesn't end until Monday. Multiple prominent Democrats are being considered for the position and the Harris campaign is expected to pick by Tuesday. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro are all possible candidates. While Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been supportive of Walz, several abortion rights advocates and Chicago business executives have sent letters to Harris in favor of Pritzker. Both Rep. Madeleine Dean and Rep. Matt Cartwright endorsed Shapiro, among several others. Shapiro, Walz, and Kelly were expected to have interviews for the position with Harris in Washington D.C. today. Shapiro is one of the most popular governors in the country, with a 60 percent approval rating. He won office twice as state attorney general and once as governor in an important swing state. If chosen, Shapiro could be the first Jewish vice president in U.S. history. Walz is a former congressman who also has high approval ratings (56%) and is serving his second term as Minnesota governor. He has passed many legislative priorities while in office, including abortion access protection, gender-affirming healthcare protection, gun control, free school meals, and expanded paid family leave. Kelly is a former astronaut and political centrist. He is a gun control activist and has served in the Navy as a fighter pilot. Polls are putting Harris slightly in front of Trump, leading 45.5% - 44.1% (5% for Robert F. Kennedy Jr). When Biden withdrew from the race, Trump had a 45.2% - 41.2% lead over him, so the net margin improvement is by 5.4 points. Harris will soon hold a rally in Pennsylvania and six other swing states: Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, and Georgia. Meanwhile, Former President Trump picked Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate. Vance has faced bipartisan criticism, but says that he "recognizes that there are a lot of folks, even in the GOP establishment and certainly on the far left, who don't like the fact that Donald Trump picked [him]" and that he "takes their criticism as a badge of honor." Vance served in the US Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007 as a combat correspondent, graduating from Ohio State University and Yale Law School after. 

That's the news for today! Stay safe!