US Democratic Party Begins Harris Nomination Vote... Vice Presidential Candidate to Be Announced Within Days

On the 1st (local time), the U.S. Democratic Party began the process to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate. Ahead of next week's swing state campaign, the announcement of the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, who will be Harris's running mate, is also expected within a few days.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is conducting a roll call vote online from today until the 5th as the official procedure to select the presidential candidate. Since Harris has already secured support from most delegates, her official nomination is expected to proceed smoothly. There are also speculations that the roll call vote, scheduled to end on the 5th, could conclude earlier.

Jamie Harrison, chair of the DNC, said, "Democratic delegates nationwide have raised their voices and sent overwhelming support to Vice President Harris," adding, "We are moving into the final stage of the nomination process with unprecedented momentum and unity across the party."

Following this, starting from the 6th, Vice President Harris plans to campaign mainly in swing states including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; Research Triangle, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Accordingly, the announcement of Harris's running mate who will accompany her on this campaign is also expected within a few days.

The U.S. political media outlet Politico reported that Harris is preparing for the final stage of selecting her running mate, which involves in-person interviews. It is known that several leading candidates have met with Harris's vetting team in recent days, but Harris herself has not yet had direct contact with any of them.

Currently, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate pool includes Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. They have recently met with Harris's vetting team. Governor Shapiro was originally scheduled to attend a fundraising event in the Hamptons, New York, this weekend but canceled it the day before. This has led to speculation that he might become the candidate. Governor Beshear also canceled a planned distillery visit scheduled for the same day. Another foreign media outlet reported that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has also been in contact with the vetting team.

Vice President Harris reportedly told her aides that she wants someone with management experience and who has built good relationships as her vice-presidential candidate. Inside Harris's camp, priority is given to someone with geographic bases and capabilities to attack the Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, and vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance. Politico noted that the Democrats have publicly expressed the need to avoid selecting a white male, pointing out that Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, has already faced racist and sexist attacks.

Trump's camp and supporters are ready to launch an immediate offensive as soon as Harris announces her running mate. One insider said, "The campaign has completed opposition polling on Harris's vice-presidential candidate." Another insider noted that regardless of who the vice-presidential candidate is, "the focus will be on Harris." Politico added that this analysis is based on the view that the vice president cannot sway voters and that the November election will ultimately be a "Trump vs. Harris" contest. The Democratic Party plans to hold its national convention in Chicago from August 19 to 22.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.