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The field of potential vice presidential running mates to join presumptive nominee Kamala Harris on the 2024 Democratic Party ticket got a little narrower on Monday, as Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer appeared to rule herself out.
In an appearance on Morning Joe, Whitmer said she “had made a commitment to serve out her term as governor” and can be “an excellent ally to a President Harris” in that role and as co-chair of the campaign.
The Harris presidential campaign has raked in more than $200m in donations in the week since Joe Biden exited the race and the vice president stepped up to replace him on the ticket.
This comes as new polling shows a huge surge in enthusiasm about voting among Democrats, surpassing that of Republican excitement for voting for Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Democrats are focusing attacks on Trump’s running mate JD Vance, with Senator Chuck Schumer saying: “Every day, it comes out Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic.”
Emails shared with The New York Times by a former friend of Vance show him criticizing Trump for “racism” and as a “morally reprehensible human being”, underlining the political pivot he made in recent years.
Key Points
- Harris campaign rakes in $200m of donations in first week
- Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris: ‘She’ll make a fantastic President of the United States’
- Harris narrows gap on Trump in new poll
- Harris trolls rival as he backs out of debate: ‘What happened to any time, any place?’
- VP launches first presidential campaign ad: ‘We choose freedom’
Whitmer says Harris will pick running mate in six or seven days
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in an interview with CBS Mornings today that she expects Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic Party presidential 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 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,” she added.
This timeline is consistent with that of the Democratic National Committee, which plans to start a virtual roll call vote by August 1 and for Harris to choose a running mate by August 7.
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 18:30 1722272438Trump defends ‘beautiful’ female Secret Service agent from backlash
Donald Trump has sung the praises of an embattled female Secret Service agent, commending her bravery and claiming she “wanted to take a bullet” for him despite her small stature, during the attempt on his life earlier this month.
Female agents have faced a swathe of criticism and misogyny from prominent right-wing conservatives following the assassination attempt of the former president on July 13.
James Liddell has the story.
Trump defends female Secret Service agent who faced backlash after shooting
‘There was a woman to my right shielding me. A beautiful person,’ former president said during Minnesota rally this past weekend
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 18:00 1722271016Vance called Trump ‘morally reprehensible human being’ in resurfaced emails
Emails between JD Vance and a former law school friend have added to previous evidence showing the ideological pivot the Ohio senator made regarding Donald Trump that led to him being picked as running mate by the former president.
Sofia Nelson, a public defender living in Detroit who identifies as transgender, shared email messages from the now-Ohio senator and vice presidential candidate with The New York Times.
Per the Times:
The emails, in which Mr. Vance criticizes former President Donald J. Trump both for “racism” and as a “morally reprehensible human being,” add to an already-existing body of evidence showing Mr. Vance’s ideological pivot from Never Trumper to Mr. Trump’s running mate.
And they reflect a young man quite different from the hard-right culture warrior of today who back then brought homemade baked goods to his friend after Nelson underwent transition-related surgery. The visit cemented their bond.
Nelson — who fell out with Vance in 2021 over his support for a ban on gender-affirming care for minors — hopes the emails will inform the opinion of voters.
“He achieved great success and became very rich by being a Never Trumper who explained the white working class to the liberal elite,” Nelson said, referring to Mr. Vance’s successful 2016 book. “Now he’s amassing even more power by expressing the exact opposite.”
A statement from the Vance campaign reads: “It’s unfortunate this individual chose to leak decade-old private conversations between friends to The New York Times. Senator Vance values his friendships with individuals across the political spectrum. He has been open about the fact that some of his views from a decade ago began to change after becoming a dad and starting a family, and he has thoroughly explained why he changed his mind on President Trump. Despite their disagreements, Senator Vance cares for Sofia and wishes Sofia the very best.”
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 17:36 1722270638From temple donations to family visits, how Kamala Harris is still the pride of her Indian ancestral village
Vishwam Sanakaran writes:
Between the coconut trees, bungalows and rice paddies of this remote village in southern India there is a bizarre sight: a collection of giant blue posters adorned with the face of US vice president Kamala Harris, each wishing her – in the local Tamil language – luck for November’s presidential election.
Continue reading...
How Kamala Harris is still the pride of her Indian ancestral village
Some 8,000 miles from Washington DC, this village in southern Tamil Nadu is an unlikely pocket of fervent support for the presumptive 2024 Democratic candidate. Vishwam Sankaran meets locals who are hoping to see one of their own named the next US president
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 17:30 1722268838Harris gaining on Trump among Hispanic voters, new poll shows
Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is quickly gaining on former President Donald Trump among Hispanic voters, a new poll shows.
While majorities of Hispanic voters have supported Democrats in the past, many have recently been moving towards the Republican Party.
Gustaf Kilander looks at the most recent numbers.
New poll shows Kamala Harris gaining on Trump among Hispanic voters
Vice president leads former commander-in-chief by 19 points among vital swing state voting group
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 17:00 1722267038Harris received $20,000 per minute during fundraising effort, campaigners say
At one point on Thursday the Kamala Harris campaign was raising $20,000 per minute, campaigners have said.
The campaign for the vice president was hosting a Zoom call for white women to “answer the call” and “show up for Kamala Harris.”
“We’re raising $20,000 per minute — the system wasn’t built for this. If you can’t make your donation, keep trying,” Shannon Watts, founder of the anti-gun violence group Mom Demands Action, wrote on X on Thursday morning.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Campaigners say Harris received $20,000 per minute during fundraising effort
Harris campaign targets women voters as Trump’s running mate is on the backfoot over past comments
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 16:30 1722265720Watch: Gov Gretchen Whitmer says no to veep speculation
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has shut down speculation about the possibility she could join Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket should the vice president formally secure the party’s nomination.
Here she is today on Morning Joe on MSNBC:
Whitmer also joined in on the campaign’s characterization of the Republican ticket as “weird”, citing the way they talk to people and the way they address people.
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 16:08 1722265238Harris joins TikTok and mocks Trump with ‘Bye Bye Bye’ video
Kamala Harris enlisted the help of former NYSNC member Lance Bass as she launched her official TikTok account.
In one of the first videos posted to her new official profile – which has already gained more than three million followers since appearing late last week – the singer accompanied the vice president in a short clip mocking her would-be opponent Donald Trump.
Mike Bedigan has the story.
Kamala Harris joins TikTok and mocks Trump with ‘Bye Bye Bye’ video with Lance Bass
Since launching late last week the vice president’s TikTok account has already gained over three million followers
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 16:00 1722264338Iowa’s six-week abortion ban goes into effect today
Iowa has become the latest state in which abortion access has been sharply curbed, approximately two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.
The law prohibits abortions after cardiac activity can be detected, which is roughly at six weeks of pregnancy and before many know they are pregnant. There are limited exceptions in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality, or when the life of the mother is in danger. Previously, abortion in Iowa was legal up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley issued the following statement:
Iowa Republicans have officially made their state one of the most extreme when it comes to restricting reproductive freedom, flying in the face of the majority of Iowans who support abortion access. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, GOP state legislatures have made these bans a top priority, and they show no sign of letting up. The time is now for Democrats to turn their attention to state legislatures where Republicans are leveraging power to pass an extreme agenda that rips up fundamental freedoms. The DLCC will continue to hold the GOP in the states accountable as they compromise the health care of their constituents.
Kamala Harris has reiterated her commitment to restoring reproductive freedom across the nation should she become president.
The vice president said on X: “Today, Iowa's extreme abortion ban goes into effect, creating a health care crisis for women across the state.
“If extremist so-called leaders have their way, no woman in our nation will be safe from the government telling her what to do with her own body.”
She also released this video message:
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 15:45 1722263438Democrats hard selling Harris message that Trump and Vance are ‘weird’
Prominent Democrats championed Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid for the presidency on Sunday, one week after the official launch of her campaign, as she seeks to capitalize on a wave of support coalescing around her candidacy.
The Democratic Party’s sudden unification was on full display across the broadcast and cable news networks on Sunday as the party’s biggest stars lined up to deliver talking points on three issues: the strength of Harris’s resume, the perceived weirdness of Trump and his vice presidential candidate JD Vance, and Joe Biden’s lame-duck agenda item, Supreme Court reform. Today marked the first round of Sunday news talk shows (minus Meet the Press, pre-empted by the Olympics) since Biden’s decision to drop out of the race was announced last Sunday afternoon.
John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.
Democrats are hard selling Kamala Harris’ message that Trump and Vance are ‘weird’
Harris’s allies across Democratic Party project a unified front while GOP struggles to halt her momentum
Oliver O'Connell29 July 2024 15:30 Newer1 / 8OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
