Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a private selection process for her vice presidential nominee, a move mirroring the contentious primaries that many Democrats were eager to dodge. This intense, divisive process, ironically, emerged in the backdrop of a struggle for the currently less crucial spot.
Recent developments in the race towards becoming Harris’s running mate have taken an ugly turn due to interventions from donors, advocacy groups, and political opponents. These diverse stakeholders, hailing from both moderate and progressive wings of the party, have been pushing for their choice of candidates while unceremoniously shedding light on the contenders’ weaknesses with important voter demographics.
The infighting among Democrats became evident when Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota interviewed with Vice President Harris. Both met Ms. Harris in Washington, ahead of the declaration of a decision that the Harris campaign claimed would be announced by Tuesday. It appears that an internal power play is happening within the Democrat ranks.
Kelly, accused of lacking in progressivism, faced criticisms from advocacy groups. President of United Automobile Workers union, Shawn Fain, openly expressed dissatisfaction about Kelly’s commitment to pro-labor legislation during a Sunday interview with CBS. Clearly, the liberals within the party are not satisfied with the candidates and their positions.
While Democratic donors have given a green-light for all the finalists on Harris’s shortlist, a split has started to emerge among the large givers. Left-wing donors, in email discussions within the Democracy Alliance, have voiced apprehensions about Shapiro. The nomination process seems more divided than the Democrats might have hoped.
There is a section of progressive activists, communicating via an email group called ‘Gamechanger Salon’, who have united against Shapiro due to his stance on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The charged discussion veered off into a heated debate about the appropriateness of the term ‘Genocide Josh’ to address Shapiro, an observant Jew. The platform soon adopted a new subject line cautioning against Shapiro’s vice-presidential aspirations.
Moderates within the party and other media have rebuked the growing attacks on Shapiro, including Joe Scarborough, the host of MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’. Scarborough termed the backlash against Shapiro as a ‘toxic mix of antisemitism, extremist views on Gaza, and envious colleagues’, highlighting the bitter intra-party rivalry that’s brewing.
Recent developments have witnessed a push for Gov. Tim Walz by progressive donors. It appears being a favorite of the party’s most liberal contributors, about 60 of whom he addressed on Friday, has earned Walz some support. But it remains to be seen whether this support will translate into a ticket.
Significantly, Mr. Walz seems to be the liberals’ ‘unicorn’ choice alongside Mr. Kelly. According to executive director of a liberal donor group, the Movement Voter Project, Billy Wimsatt, Shapiro could risk dampening the zeal of progressive voters with concerns about the conflict in Gaza. Wimsatt reportedly conveyed his thoughts in an email discussion that came to The New York Times’ attention.
Another contender, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, has shown clear dissatisfaction about the potential of Gov. Shapiro’s ticket. Reports informed by insiders suggest that one of Fetterman’s advisors even contacted the Harris campaign to protest against Shapiro’s prospective candidacy.
Interesting changes occurred last week in the campaign. Mark Kelly made some curious signals over social media platforms where he declared his attention to focus on serving his home state. However, this message was subsequently deleted, leading to speculation and confusion.
Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, emerged as another potential compromise candidate for the vice-presidential nomination. His advocacy at a Harris fundraiser in New Hampshire has sparked some excitement and anticipation of a potential Buttigieg VP ticket amongst Democrats.
Another compromise candidate is said to be Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, who has managed to secure a balance of support amongst liberal and centrist contributors. Demonstrations over the past two weeks suggest that the major donors are keen to thoroughly vet Beshear, including attendance at an exclusive session on Friday evening.
Harris’s ultimate selection is likely to have been settled already, even whilst Walz and Beshear are slated for opposing fund-raisings for Harris on Monday. Interestingly, Walz’s event in Minneapolis appeared to be sold out, with remaining tickets for Beshear’s fundraising in Chicago, suggesting a possible tilt in favour.
The Democrat infighting, the jostling for the vice-presidential nomination, and the bitter intra-party rivalry all expose the deeper cracks within the party. The upcoming decision announcement by Vice President Harris only marks one stage of the internal dynamics, with future developments sure to stir further turbulence within the Democratic Party