Whitmer says Harris will likely announce running mate within 6-7 days
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said in a Monday interview she expects Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, to announce a running mate in the next six or seven days.
“Everything is truncated, and she's going to make that decision probably in the next six, seven days,” Whitmer, a co-chair of the Harris campaign, said in an interview on “CBS Mornings" when asked about a timeline for choosing a running mate.
“I would imagine we'll know who her running mate is, and we'll get ready for convention,” Whitmer continued.
Whitmer’s comments are consistent with the timeline outlined last week by the Democratic National Committee, which said it plans to start a virtual roll call vote to choose its presidential nominee by Aug. 1 and for Harris to select a running mate by Aug. 7.
Harris is the only major contender for the party’s nomination, and she has support from well over the 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination, according to an Associated Press survey.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison acknowledged last week that Harris has enough support to clinch the nomination but stressed the importance to follow procedure.
“As a party, we have an obligation to design and implement a fair nomination for delegates to express their preferences through a vote,” he said.
The DNC announced Monday, the day after Biden stepped aside and endorsed Harris, that it would move forward with the virtual roll call and plans to have the presidential nominee by Aug. 7.
The DNC had previously planned to nominate Biden with a virtual roll call after Aug. 1 and ahead of the convention, which starts on Aug. 19.
Whitmer, in the interview, reaffirmed her previous commitment to serving out her term as governor and shot down speculation that she could be a possible contender for Harris’s running mate.
Whitmer said she was not undergoing the standard vetting process for potential VP candidates.
“The Vice President has got a great group of people from whom she's going to pick her running mate, and I know that I can be the best ally on the ground in Michigan as a co-chair of this campaign as well,” Whitmer said.