Presidential candidacy secured Who will be Harris' running mate?

Kamala Harris has officially secured the Democratic presidential nomination. Now all attention is focused on the question: who will be her vice president in the race against Donald Trump?

In an online vote by the Democrats for the nomination for the presidential election in November, Harris received the necessary majority of delegate votes, the party announced.

Harris will therefore run against Republican former President Donald Trump in the election in November. In the coming days, the 54-year-old now wants to present a vice-presidential candidate and go on a lightning trip with her partner through the seven most contested states.

Early nomination

For bureaucratic reasons, the Democrats had brought forward their candidate selection - before the start of a major party conference in Chicago in mid-August - and used a digital vote. This has to do with the deadlines in the states by which the parties must have confirmed their candidates in order to be on the ballot.

Voting began on Thursday via the party's online platform, where party delegates from all states were able to cast their votes. Voting will continue for several more days. However, Harris secured the necessary majority of votes from around 4,000 delegates early on. She was the only candidate in the digital vote - her nomination was therefore considered a formality.

Harris said she felt honored. "It won't be easy, but we will get there," she emphasized with a view to the rest of the election campaign and the actual election on 5 November. "I know we are up for this fight."

Choosing the right partner

Now everything is focused on the question of who she will pick as her running mate. The "Washington Post" reported, citing sources close to Harris, that the Democrat wants to hold talks with her potential partners over the weekend and then make a decision.

The selection of a running mate in the US presidential election campaign is usually a complicated and time-consuming process, which now has to be carried out in a rush. This is because Harris became a candidate at extremely short notice following the withdrawal of US President Joe Biden from the presidential race.

Tour through seven swing states

Harris' campaign team has already announced a campaign tour with the new Vice President through the seven most contested states next week: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. In these so-called swing states, it is not clear in advance whether the Republican or Democratic candidate will traditionally win. These states are therefore decisive in the election.

For this reason, Harris wants to visit these seven states with her running mate before the Democratic convention in Chicago from August 19 to 22. The duo's first campaign rally is planned for Tuesday evening (local time) - Wednesday night according to German time - in Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania. Harris must therefore announce her running mate by Tuesday at the latest.

The 51-year-old has been governor of the swing state of Pennsylvania since 2023. Before that, he was Attorney General in the state. Shapiro is relatively new to the national political stage. Shapiro is considered a moderate and is very popular. He has been considered for higher office for some time.

The 60-year-old is a former astronaut and has already won the Senate seat in the swing state of Arizona twice - a huge success for the Democrats. Kelly is also well-known to Americans because he is the husband of former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She fought her way back to life after an assassination attempt in 2011 and is one of the loudest campaigners for stricter gun laws.

The 60-year-old has been governor of the state of Minnesota since 2019 and was previously a member of the House of Representatives for many years. Before his political career, he was a teacher. The father of two does not have a particularly strong national profile, but is known for his down-to-earth manner and direct way of conveying political messages.

The 42-year-old caused a sensation in 2020 as a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He is now the Minister of Transportation in Biden's cabinet, making him the first openly gay federal minister in the USA. In recent years, he has been able to distribute large sums of infrastructure investment throughout the country. Buttigieg speaks several languages, is quick-witted and has long been regarded as the party's great hope.

The 46-year-old is governor of the state of Kentucky. As a rule, the Republican candidate is voted for in the presidential election in this state. Beshear is said to have bipartisan appeal. Before becoming governor, he was the state's attorney general. Beshear's father was also governor of Kentucky.

The 59-year-old is governor of Illinois - a state that is firmly in the hands of the Democrats. The billionaire comes from a wealthy family of entrepreneurs. The lawyer has invested in tech start-ups and is also well connected within the party. However, he is not particularly well known nationally.