Shapiro vetted in DC as Harris VP pick comes down to the wire
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The stage at Temple University's Liacouras Center is where Vice President Kamala Harris will appear publicly for the first time with her running mate.
The big picture: Harris didn't announce her VP pick over the weekend, but top Democrats tell Axios signs point to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
- Virtually all roads to 270 electoral votes run through our state — one of the few things the Harris and Trump campaigns agree on.
Between the lines: While Harris could surprise everyone, she seems to be headed toward a pick that a wide variety of sources — Republicans and Democrats — think is both shrewd and straightforward.
- It's a combination of math and logic: Pennsylvania is the biggest swing-state prize on the map. And Shapiro has a 61% approval rating.
Catch up quick: Harris interviewed three VP finalists — Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona — at her residence in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Reuters reports.
- Days earlier, Shapiro had canceled pre-planned fundraisers that he was scheduled to hold over the weekend in the Hamptons, adding to the breathless fervor around the veepstakes.
- Some Wall Street donors are convinced Harris will pick a governor, in part because they were told to mail in their checks this week to avoid triggering a pay-to-play financial rule.
The latest: This weekend saw a flurry of efforts by rival Democratic camps to tank Shapiro's chances.
- One report has U.S. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) favoring Walz, with a source familiar with her thinking telling The Hill she "is always especially fond of former House colleagues."
- Advisers to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) have privately relayed to Harris' team his worries that Shapiro, a long-running rival in Pennsylvania, is excessively focused on personal ambitions, Politico reports.
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign has urged reporters not to read into Philadelphia being chosen to kick off a tour of seven battleground states, including stops in western Wisconsin, Detroit and Raleigh, North Carolina.
- But Shapiro will almost certainly be there — either as a running mate or runner-up.
What we're watching: If Harris selects Shapiro, he'll have to decide whether or not to step down as governor, which could trigger a line of succession leading to Lt. Gov. Austin Davis assuming Shapiro's role.
- But some political analysts told Axios they believe Shapiro is more likely to remain governor while campaigning.