Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly set to hold her first campaign rallies in key battleground states next week with her newly appointed running mate.
The event will be held in Philadelphia on Tuesday, and Harris, 59, is expected to announce her selection by that date. According to Politico.
Citing Harris’ campaign, the outlet reported that following the unveiling, Harris and her running mate will campaign in seven battleground states over four days, including visiting western Wisconsin, Detroit, Michigan, Raleigh, North Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, after the event in Pennsylvania.
The move to show off the vice presidential candidate in Florida’s largest city is likely to lead to speculation that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, is Harris’ pick.
The 51-year-old governor is seen as one of Harris’s top picks and grew up in Montgomery County, just outside Philadelphia.
Shapiro has been campaigning across Pennsylvania in recent days in support of Harris, and since President Biden decided to forgo reelection on July 21, his social media accounts have focused primarily on promoting the vice president and attacking former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes will be up for grabs in 2024. The state backed Biden by less than 2 percentage points in the 2020 election and chose Trump by less than 1 percentage point in 2016.
a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult Poll Polls released Tuesday showed Trump leading Harris by a 50% to 46% margin in key battleground states.
But Harris campaign aides warned against overinterpreting Shapiro’s connection to Philadelphia, according to Politico.
According to the media, interviews between Harris and the candidates are expected to take place in the coming days.
The vice president told reporters on Tuesday that he has not “yet” decided on a running mate.
In addition to Shapiro, Harris is believed to be considering Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Other Democrats, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Sen. Gary Peters (R-Mich.), have also been mentioned as possible candidates.
Harris’ running mate is expected to be confirmed by Democratic delegates in a virtual roll call vote by August 7, the day before the announcement in Philadelphia.
The Harris campaign did not respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.
