Harris VP contenders celebrate the "Energizer Bunny" exciting the electorate

• Several of the front-runners are mostly moderate white men from swing states.

Driving the news: As was seen before former President Trump announced Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate, those speculated to be on Harris' shortlist have hit the airwaves as they assume their roles as surrogates for the VP's campaign.

• However, those in the veepstakes have remained tight-lipped about the process.

What they're saying: Tim Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota since 2019, said being floated as a possible No. 2 is "an honor" but declined to discuss "anything personal" when pressed on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday whether he had received vetting materials from Harris' campaign.

• Asked if he was concerned his progressive record of legalizing recreational marijuana, signing into law expanded background checks for private gun sales and strengthening protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community could fan GOP attacks on Harris as a big-government radical, he replied he's "more than happy to take the label."
• Walz, previously a surrogate for President Biden's reelection campaign, joked: "What a monster! Kids are eating ... and having full bellies so they can go learn, and women are making their own health care decisions. And we're a top five business state, and we also rank in the top three of happiness. Look, they're going to label whatever they're going to label."

Zoom in: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who is considered a rising star in the Democratic party, was similarly restrained when discussing the veepstakes but celebrated Harris as the "Energizer Bunny" expected at the top of the Democratic ticket.

• "The electorate is energized," he said on ABC's "This Week." "Democrats are ready to go. You've seen hundreds of thousands of people signing up to volunteer."
• He jabbed at Trump and Vance as "just weird," citing Trump's repeated ramblings about windmills and his No. 2's recently unsurfaced comments slamming "childless cat ladies" on the left.
• While he declined to tell ABC's Martha Raddatz whether he had received vetting paperwork, the Democratic governor said he had a "great conversation" with Harris last week as "things were evolving."

Zoom out: Republicans — and some congressional Dems — have slammed Harris over the border, often referencing her role within the administration to lead coordination with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to address key causes of immigration.

• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who went head-to-head with Harris in the 2020 presidential primaries but is now considered a possible VP pick, said there has been "mischaracterization" of Harris' handling of the border crisis, emphasizing, "She was not in charge of the border — the Homeland Security Department is in charge of the border."
• Speaking to "Fox News Sunday," he continued: "What she did was engage diplomatically and effectively."
• He applauded the "remarkable" way the party has rallied around Harris in just a week, saying he's witnessed a "level of energy" he hasn't seen "on the campaign trail in a long time."

The bottom line: The crunch-time Democratic campaign sparked by Biden ending his campaign has inspired record-shattering momentum, with volunteer signups in key swing states and fundraising soaring.

Go deeper: Who could be Kamala Harris' vice presidential pick