According to information coming out of Wall Street, it looks like the Harris campaign has narrowed her choice of running mate down to a governor – which, if true, knocks Arizona Senator Mark Kelly out of contention.
The Harris campaign is telling Wall Street megadonors to get their donations in ASAP due to certain rules surrounding donations to campaigns with a governor on the ticket. While it’s not a confirmation that she is definitely going to pick a governor, it is worth noting.
Via Axios:
Why it matters: The urgency of the requests has led some donors to conclude that Harris plans to pick a governor — and not a senator, like Mark Kelly of Arizona — to be her running mate.
- If the campaign signals are being correctly interpreted, that would narrow the veepstakes down to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
- Some donors in the financial services and investment industry think they have until Sunday to get their contributions in.
- Harris told reporters on Tuesday that she has not made a final decision. Kelly is the only senator currently seen as a frontrunner.
- Harris plans to barnstorm swing states across the country with her running mate next week, hitting Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, according to the campaign.
How it works: The Securities and Exchange Commission has a strict rule for some employees at financial services firms regulating their donations to campaigns for state office, like a governor’s race.
Those SEC rules make sense – if the ticket with the governor on it doesn’t win, then you run the risk of a megadonor having bought a sitting governor, and no one wants that, right?
Well, as mentioned, if she is looking at a governor, that keeps Mark Kelly out of contention, which is a shame, considering he recently (may or may not have) tried to buy his way on.
READ MORE: Is Sen. Mark Kelly Trying to Buy His Way Onto the Kamala Harris Ticket?
But the ones who would be left in contention are an interesting group – Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky.
I don’t think Beshear has a shot (which, given my luck, means it’s absolutely going to be him, isn’t it?). Shapiro is by far the smartest choice, but the current wave of antisemitism in the Democratic Party makes that riskier than it should be. Walz is interesting because he seemingly came out of nowhere (one person in the media I spoke with recently called him a “dark horse”). But which one could it be?
Like I said, if I were being as objective as possible, I would say Shapiro is the smartest choice. But some of the loudest elements of the progressive side of the aisle have become so antisemitic that it could actually pose a danger to her candidacy. You also have to remember that Shapiro has only been on the job since early 2023. He doesn’t have much experience.
But I am not sure that Walz or Beshear help out Harris’ ticket in any meaningful way, either. There is little polling data available, and we can all guess who would be helpful and why, but at the end of the day, we don’t really know.
This report, however, is interesting, though, and it’s worth noting.
