Actor Kal Penn says Harris should choose Buttigieg as running mate

Actor Kal Penn said he thinks Vice President Harris should choose Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as her running mate in the upcoming election.

Penn wrote in an Esquire piece that Harris has "a once-in-a-generation shot at choosing an expert communicator and campaigner who can litigate her case quickly and effectively, all while bringing in new voters.”

“She should choose Pete Buttigieg as her running mate,” concluded Penn, the “Harold & Kumar” star who worked in the Obama administration.

In his op-ed, Penn said former President Obama won the presidency twice in part because he was able to “raise policy expectations and expand the electorate” by reaching younger voters.

“That’s where, in 2024, Pete Buttigieg comes in,” he argued. “A son of the Midwest, Buttigieg is a former Rust Belt Mayor, a polyglot, and a Navy veteran, and for the past three and a half years, he has served as secretary of transportation.”

Buttigieg has been floated as a potential running mate for Harris and been on talk show after talk show in recent weeks making the case for her campaign.

Several other people have been rumored to be on Harris’s shortlist, including Govs. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), among others.

Penn argued that Buttigieg is already known among voters and donors across the country but that his real strength lies in his ability to speak and debate.

“Buttigieg’s regular media interviews and viral congressional testimonies exemplify what an unafraid, sharply skilled leader he is. We shouldn’t underestimate the potential of this,” Penn wrote. “Against manufactured chaos, he outlines policy and dismisses bad-faith questions without absolving his opponents of lessons in moral clarity.”

Penn argued that Buttigieg can handle questions meant to put him in a bind with a smile and “an intellectual shiv.”

The actor said the stakes in this election have never been higher. With President Biden passing the torch to Harris, it’s an opportunity for a new generation to lead, Penn said.

“Vice President Harris should choose Pete Buttigieg because he raises the bar on the conversations we ought to be having on the direction of our country. I hope she does. It’s the winning ticket,” he concluded.