Kamala Harris has revealed that she chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over her close friend and fellow Democrat Pete Buttigieg to be her running mate in the 2024 presidential election. In a passage from her upcoming book, “107 Days”, Harris writes that she initially considered Buttigieg as her top choice but ultimately decided against it due to concerns about how voters would react to a Black woman and a gay man on the ticket.
Harris explains that while Buttigieg is a sincere public servant with strong communication skills, choosing him would have been too “big of a risk” given the historic nature of their names. Instead, she opted for Walz, who was already well-known in Minnesota and had a reputation as a progressive leader.
The decision highlights one of the key challenges facing Democrats heading into the 2028 presidential election: finding a balance between celebrating diversity on their ticket with winning over voters. Harris’s choice has been viewed by some as a missed opportunity to capitalize on Buttigieg’s popularity, but it also provides insight into her thought process and the considerations that went into selecting her running mate.
In recent months, there has been speculation about whether Harris will run for president again in 2028, with several potential candidates emerging from within the Democratic party.
Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/09/kamala-harris-running-mate-pete-buttigieg/684249