Dem
51
GOP
49
Normally, we don't run items that add nothing to what everyone has known for weeks, but when it involves what will certainly be the biggest news story of the coming week, well, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Here's the non-news story. Yesterday, Kamala Harris spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon at her current home at Number One Observatory Circle chatting with a few of her new best friends, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Govs. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and Tim Walz (DFL-MN). All of them claim to love their current jobs but, with a bit of effort, she could twist their arms into trying out for a job that pays $284,600 per year and requires no work other than calling the White House at 8 a.m. to see if the president is still alive. If she is, they can take the rest of the day off. Sounds like good work to us if you can get it. Of course, if the Senate is tied at 50-50, which it might well be, then the job also requires the candidate to hang around the Senate and vote once in a while to break ties. Even with that, it is an easy way to earn over $23,000/month in your spare time.
Meanwhile, Democrats, Republicans and pundits of all stripes were speculating throughout the weekend as to which one it would be. Almost no one expects her pick to come out of left field. Harris needs to demonstrate that she is serious and methodical. Weird is already spoken for. Besides, she needs a bland moderate white man who is either a senator or a governor to balance the ticket. Being from a swing state is a plus. So is being very famous. Extra points for being a combat veteran or being an excellent public speaker.
Each of the candidates has pluses and minuses. We've gone over them many times already. It is time for Harris to make a decision. She needs to do this before tomorrow, when she will begin her rapid-fire tour of seven swing states. The call might well come today. Meanwhile, the rumor mill is running full blast, but the people who know aren't talking and the people who are talking don't know.
We don't know any more than anyone else, but we don't see how much Walz brings to the ticket, and he is the most progressive (i.e., the least moderate) of the three, which is a negative for Harris. Shapiro and Kelly each could help pick up a point or two in critical swing states. Kelly is a genuine hero as a former astronaut and veteran, which could help a bit in all states, but he is not a great speaker. His wife, Gabby Giffords, barely survived an assassination attempt, and he could use that to talk about the need for gun control from a personal standpoint. Having Giffords try to campaign as best she could might generate a sympathy vote from people on the fence about gun control. Shapiro has actually run something (the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania), is a gifted orator, and his state has more EVs than Arizona and Nevada combined. Both of them would be a lot better than Sen. Weir. D. Vance (R-OH). (V)