Harris campaign has found 6 possible VP picks as selection process nears end

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has met with six potential vice presidential candidates as her selection process nears its end, two sources familiar with the campaign said.

The six candidates are Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg.

They are all roughly the same age as Harris, 59 or younger, and most have been baffled by the vice president on the campaign trail or in media appearances since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Shapiro met with Harris’ vetting team on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the meeting. The vice president was not present, the source said.

Shapiro has canceled a fundraiser in the Hamptons this weekend that was originally scheduled to raise money for his PAC, his press secretary, Manuel Bonder, confirmed. “His schedule has changed and he will no longer be traveling to the Hamptons this weekend,” Bonder said.

Two familiar sources said Kelly met with Harris’ vetting team on Tuesday afternoon. Kelly missed at least two votes on the Senate floor on Wednesday between noon and 6 p.m. ET, a source said. His advisor said he was “off campus.”

Pennsylvania and Arizona are considered critical states needed to win the Electoral College.

NBC News previously reported the list of candidates who received vetting materials, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, but she later made clear she wants to end her term as governor rather than serve as Harris’ vice president. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper also withdrew his name from consideration.

On Tuesday afternoon, Harris told reporters that she had “not yet” chosen her running mate, but a decision is expected next Tuesday, when Harris is expected to appear with her pick for the first time during a statewide tour that begins in Philadelphia, a familiar source told NBC News.

A source familiar with the process strongly cautioned against reading too much into the place, saying Philly was chosen in a vacuum in addition to Shapiro.

Next week’s tour also includes visits to western Wisconsin; Detroit; Raleigh, North Carolina; Phoenix; Las Vegas; and Savannah, Georgia.

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee’s virtual call to nominate Harris for president began on Thursday and is expected to end on Monday. DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison announced Tuesday that only Harris qualified for the ballot, and 3,923 delegates petitioned to put her on the ballot for the nomination. The DNC said Harris secured the support of 99% of participating delegates.

Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under President Barack Obama, is leading the vetting process for Harris as part of his role as senior counsel at Covington & Burling LLP.