The dates have been set and the venues chosen – all that’s left is Harris’ choice of vice president | News, Sports, Employment

FILE – Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally, July 30, 2024, in Atlanta. Harris, the daughter of immigrants who rose through the ranks of California politics and law enforcement to become the first female vice president in U.S. history, is poised to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The dates are set. The venues are chosen. The only thing missing from this week’s campaign trail with Vice President Kamala Harris and her 2024 running mate is the name of the candidate.

After a weekend spent interviewing finalists, Harris must decide who will be her running mate before the two embark on a tour of key battleground states today, where they will present the new Democratic ticket to voters and highlight the stakes of the election.

Everything about her campaign has been a success out of necessity. She’s only been a candidate for a little more than two weeks, ever since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race after a dismal debate performance and growing calls within the Democratic Party for her to step aside. The chairman of the Democratic National Committee said Friday that Harris had already secured enough votes to become the party’s nominee and will accept the nomination Monday night when voting ends.

And about 8 in 10 Democrats say they would be somewhat or very satisfied if Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted after Biden dropped out of the race.

Harris has had to make a condensed assessment of her potential running mates as the party convention approaches.

This means that there is not much time left for the defenders and detractors of the different teams to put their finishing touches.

Harris was focusing on three vice presidential candidates, whom she interviewed Sunday in Washington: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to a person familiar with the process who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations. Three other men have been in the mix: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Walz is in his second term as Minnesota’s governor. He has built his state into a bastion of liberal politics and, this year, one of the few states to protect fans who buy tickets online for Taylor Swift concerts and other live events. He hails from rural America, and in his first race for Congress, Walz defeated a Republican incumbent.

Walz spoke to an energetic crowd at a fundraiser Monday night in downtown Minneapolis, but gave no hint about his status on Harris’s ticket. But the governor spoke of a “politics of joy” which he hopes to spread during the election campaign on behalf of Harris.

“We have to carry out this campaign against the grave threat that exists, but we have to do it every day with a sense of joy.” he said.

Walz also criticized Donald Trump and Republicans who wanted to regulate what books children read and undermine abortion rights.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Democratic Party posted a message of support for Walz online. “IMPORTANT QUESTION: There is no ‘T’ sound in ‘Walz’ (but there is in ‘Vice President Walz’)” The group wrote with a winking smiley face emoji.

Some congressional Democrats have promoted Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut whose state has more than 370 miles of border with Mexico. They say his selection could help defuse Trump’s arguments that the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies are too lax.

Shapiro also has prominent supporters, including Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, who caused a stir Friday by posting a video featuring several Philadelphia-area officials and Democrats promoting Harris but also touting Shapiro as her running mate. A person familiar with the mayor’s thinking said he had no inside knowledge of Harris’ intentions.

Asked about Monday’s presidential election, Shapiro said he had no information.

“I have nothing for you, man” he told an Associated Press reporter when he arrived at the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg. “Have a nice day.”

Both Kelly and Shapiro have seen their detractors grow more vocal as Harris moves closer to a decision.

Some labor groups have criticized Kelly, saying he opposes proposed legislation that they say would boost union organizing. The senator’s office counters that while he did not co-sponsor the proposed legislation, he has said he will vote in favor of it.

The nonprofit Institute for Understanding the Middle East has been vocal about Shapiro, saying in a statement last week that he was not the right candidate for the job.

Shapiro has aggressively confronted what he sees as anti-Semitism arising from pro-Palestinian demonstrations and has professed solidarity with Israel in its attempt to eliminate Hamas as Israel battles militants in Gaza. But he has also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while suggesting that any end to the Israel-Hamas war requires removing Hamas from power.

Harris and her running mate — whoever that may be — will embark on an aggressive swing state tour Tuesday that begins in Philadelphia on Tuesday and continues through the week to Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada. A scheduled stop in Savannah, Georgia, was canceled because of the anticipated effects of Hurricane Debby.

Campaign officials are aware that momentum can be fleeting and are working to harness the energy now while managing expectations by continuing to emphasize that the race with Republican nominee Donald Trump is tight. But the strong showing has allowed Harris’s campaign to put back into play a number of states that were feared out of reach when Biden was still at the top of the ticket.

Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, had almost exactly the same campaign schedule as Harris: Philadelphia on Tuesday, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Detroit on Wednesday and Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday.

On Sunday, he told Fox News that Harris’s selection doesn’t matter to him. “Whoever he chooses, the problem will be Kamala Harris’ record and Kamala Harris’ policies,” He said, adding, “It’s not going to be good for the country.”

Harris’s early campaign events have drawn thousands of enthusiastic crowds. Campaign officials say each stop will be packed with local election officials, religious leaders, union members and others in an effort to showcase the diversity of her coalition. Some Republicans will also appear with her, according to the campaign.

The campaign launched this week “Republicans for Harris.” The program will be a “campaign within a campaign”, According to Harris’ team, using well-known Republicans to activate their networks, with a special emphasis on primary voters who backed former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.