President Joe Biden has reportedly touched on Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate prospects, expressing preferences for Govs. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and Tim Walz (D-MN).
Biden has mostly remained mum on who he favors in the vice presidential sweepstakes, telling reporters on Friday, “I’ll let [Harris] work that out.” He has shown clear favorites behind the scenes, however, with a senior adviser telling CNN that his favorites are Shapiro and Walz.
Biden is a “big fan of Shapiro’s,” the adviser said, partially due to his help during the 2020 election, and his role in handing the Democratic Party victories in the key swing state. He successfully defended the state in 19 lawsuits before the election and over 20 filed after the Nov. 3 Election Day, guarding Biden’s victory in the state.
Despite his appreciation for Shapiro, however, the senior adviser suggested that he likes Walz even better.
“He’s just a blast,” the adviser said.
He pointed to a January infrastructure event in Wisconsin, where Walz and Biden mingled with voters over beers.
“Biden was in the best mood ever,” the adviser suggested and recalled others joking that the Minnesota governor should be brought around more often “because he always put him in such a great mood.”
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The one other candidate mentioned was Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), whom Biden isn’t close with personally but reportedly appreciates.
Harris is set to choose her running mate ahead of a Philadelphia rally on Tuesday. The top contenders are expected to face their final interviews over the weekend. In addition to the candidates mentioned by the Biden adviser, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) are seen as leading candidates.
