Kamala Harris faces major test as she looks for a running mate

By Chris Megerian and Zeke Miller, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is zeroing in on four potential candidates as she races to choose a running mate for her fledgling campaign, fast-tracking a process that usually takes months but must be finalized in only a few weeks.

Eric Holder, the former U.S. attorney general, and a team of lawyers at his firm Covington & Burling are taking the lead on vetting potential choices, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who requested anonymity because the process is being closely held.

The political conversation has centered on an assortment of white men — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper — who would provide demographic balance for the first major party ticket that would be topped by a woman of color. Three of them are from battleground states.

The list of possibilities could expand or shift. But Harris, who has locked up the delegates she will need to be the Democratic nominee, hopes to finish the process in time for delegates to also vote on her running mate when they hold a virtual roll call vote in the first few days of August, ahead of the Democratic National Convention. The goal, according to one of the people with knowledge of the matter, is to keep the process drama-free, as Harris and Democrats try to project confidence after an extraordinarily tumultuous few weeks for the party.

Choosing a vice president is among the first major tests for Harris, and few people know the importance of the choice better than her. Four years ago, after Harris’ own presidential campaign imploded, Joe Biden revived her political career by selecting her as his running mate.

Now that Biden has abruptly ended his bid for a second term less than four months before Election Day, Harris has swiftly established herself as his successor with the help of the president’s endorsement. If Democrats formally nominate Harris, she would face off with Republican candidate Donald Trump in a race that’s viewed by both parties as an existential battle over the country’s future.

California Sen. Laphonza Butler, a longtime Harris ally, said the vice president views the choice as an “urgent but deliberate decision,” and said Harris’ own experience as a running mate would be a “grounding force.”

Harris has seen “the importance of the working relationship, the trust, the energy and connection, as well as the shared values,” Butler said.

Paul Begala, a longtime Democratic strategist, said Harris is lucky that the party has the “best bench I’ve ever seen in my entire career,” providing an array of options for running mates.

He said there should only be one consideration for the choice.

“Forget the electoral college. Forget the polls,” Begala said. “Pick the person that, if something happens, they can step into the job.”

Begala recalled disagreeing with Bill Clinton’s choice of Al Gore as vice president in 1992, arguing that the decision did nothing to expand the appeal of the ticket by pairing one moderate white man from a southern state with another.

Clinton rejected the advice, Begala said, by saying “I might die.” The message was clear — Clinton thought that Gore could do the job if necessary and voters needed that assurance.

Dan Pfeiffer, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, said John McCain fumbled that test when he chose Sarah Palin, an inexperienced Alaska governor, in 2008.

“I know it’s cliche, but the most important thing by far is the readiness test,” Pfeiffer said. “It’s table stakes.”