Senior Harris campaign aides working on helping her pick a running mate are focused on choosing someone who can speak directly to older white voters and suburban women about crime, abortion and the economy and can defend Harris against voters who may be uncomfortable supporting a Black and South Asian woman, two sources familiar with the campaign’s thinking told NBC News.
The campaign’s thinking is informed by internal polling and what they see as the state of the nation and Trump’s messaging, the sources said. They view Harris’ VP search much like former President Barack Obama’s decision to tap Biden as his running mate in 2008.
A source familiar with the campaign’s thinking said Harris aides are “batting around internally” which potential running mates will “appeal in short order to that 1 or 2 percent of voters” in battleground states who will likely decide the election.
“They are feeling like you need somebody who can go in and talk to these suburban women,” the source said. “The internal polling is showing that’s who you’re targeting. You’re targeting them on reproductive rights. You’re targeting them on democracy. You’re targeting them on law and order. You’re not really trying to sell them on governing or on record or any of that, but these are sort of softer issues.”
A second source familiar with how the Harris campaign is approaching selecting her running mate said Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper are viewed as top contenders by many aides, though others, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are also being vetted and considered also potential good choices.
The campaign is particularly interested in someone who will appeal to demographics and the voters that Biden would have brought to the table, including older white voters and suburban women, the source said.
Aides to Harris also would like the running mate to appeal specifically to white men who don’t like Trump but who may have doubts about voting for a Black and South Asian woman, the source said.
“Let’s just face it. There’s a lot of sexist, racist white dudes out there in America who don’t like Trump, but just need a little extra validation. And, bringing one of the people mentioned onto the ticket helps validate her among those constituents,” the source said, adding that the campaign would like the running mate to appeal both to battleground states and to be ready to fight back hard at Republican attacks.
The source noted that the campaign is “in the honeymoon stage right now” in its VP search, “but things are about to get real.”
“She needs someone who is going to be able to defend her and stand by her in the numerous hard times that are ahead. MAGA is just going to unleash,” the source said. “These are going to be terrifyingly crazy days. She needs someone who will be able to prop her up during hard times, and someone who, when these memes take hold, when the deepfakes take hold, when all those things start happening, will be able to stand by her and validate her to a small core constituency that will ultimately decide this election.”
