Kamala Harris reveals who she really wanted as her VP

WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Kamala Harris revealed in her upcoming book, "107 Days," that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was her top choice for running mate in the 2024 presidential election but deemed the selection too risky, according to an excerpt published by The Atlantic.

Harris wrote that Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who is gay, “would have been an ideal partner – if I were a straight white man.” She noted the challenges of her own candidacy as a Black woman married to a Jewish man, stating, “But we were already asking a lot of America… Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk.” Harris added that she believed Buttigieg shared her sentiment, “to our mutual sadness.”

Buttigieg topped Harris’ list of eight potential running mates due to his ability to “frame liberal arguments in a way that makes it possible for conservatives to hear them,” she wrote. “I love Pete,” Harris said, noting their friendship and that of her with Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten.

Harris ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. The pair lost the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump and JD Vance.