The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Wednesday that Illinois governor JB Pritzker had been called by the Harris campaign to gauge his interest level in a spot on the ticket, but declined to elaborate on what took place on the call.
As speculation over who Vice President Kamala Harris will choose as her running mate picks up, with multiple Democratic governors canceling weekend obligations ahead of an expected decision, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker doesn't appear to be sweating the spotlight too much.
Appearing on MSNBC, Pritzker alluded to recent scheduling changes made by Governors Tim Walz, Josh Shapiro and Andy Beshear as all of them are rumored to be among the finalists to be Harris' running mate.
Pritzker joked that he had to cancel a performance at Lollapalooza with Blink 182 on Sunday due to being in consideration to join the presidential ticket.
Sources told NBC Chicago Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern that Pritzker met twice virtually with that vetting team as Harris narrows down her options to be the potential VP nominee for the Democrats this November.
According to NBC News, Pritzker is one of six candidates that have met with that vetting team in recent days. Reports indicate that Harris’ vetting team has also met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Both Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper have withdrawn their names from consideration after submitting vetting materials.
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Harris is expected to appear with her VP-nominee in Philadelphia on Tuesday, according to NBC News. That will kick off a tour of battleground states that will also include appearances in Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia.
Harris is expected to be nominated by the Democratic Party as soon as Monday after she was the only candidate to receive enough delegate support to be included in a virtual roll call to determine the nominee.
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It is expected that once Harris’ candidacy is made official, she will choose her running mate, with the two appearing together in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
