Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) on Tuesday dodged a question about whether he would accept an offer from Vice President Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee in November’s presidential election, to be her running mate.
MSNBC’s Jonathan Lemire asked Peters. After first reported by Axios A labor union advocates for election participation in the Michigan Senate.
“I respect the way the vice president is doing things,” Peters said. He spoke on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday.“She is currently searching for a running mate. She is considering many great candidates and will make the decision that is right for herself and for the country.”
“This is a very personal decision and I want to respect that process. And as I said at the beginning, I serve as the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and I want to focus on what I need to focus on right now,” he added.
Peters then spoke about the work of his committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the campaign arm of Senate Democrats, which he also chairs.
Lemire called Peters’ answer a “whitewash,” to which Peters responded by laughing.
The news comes after union leaders have spoken with Harris’ campaign about involving Peters in the vice presidential selection process, sources told Axios, and a Michigan Democratic Party source said Peters has expressed interest in the running and is trying to rally support, the outlet reported.
Others being mentioned as potential running mates for Harris include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D), Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D), Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D), Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D). Kelly, Shapiro, Buttigieg and Whitmer have emerged as the front-runners.
Harris rose to the top of the Democratic field after Biden announced he was dropping out of the race earlier this month and then endorsed her as a possible candidate to challenge Trump in the fall. She has boasted that she quickly gained key supporters and raised significant amounts of money within days of Biden’s withdrawal.
A tally of The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polls shows Trump leading with 47.8 percent approval to the vice president’s 46.1 percent. A recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released Tuesday showed the former president leading Harris by just three points, narrowing the seven-point lead he held over Biden before dropping out of the race.
Overall, the polls point to good news for Harris and the Democratic Party.
