Former Vice President Kamala Harris disclosed that Pete Buttigieg, the former Transportation Secretary and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was her preferred choice as a running mate in the 2024 presidential election, as reported [1] by Fox News.
The revelation comes from her forthcoming memoir, 107 Days, excerpts of which were published this week by The Atlantic.
Harris wrote that she believed Buttigieg “would have been an ideal partner – if I were a straight white man.” She explained that their pairing was ultimately deemed too risky for the Democratic ticket.
“We were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. 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. And I think Pete also knew that – to our mutual sadness.”
Instead, Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. The Harris-Walz ticket went on to lose the November election to President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
In the book excerpt, Harris described Buttigieg as topping her initial list of eight possible running mates. She praised him as “a sincere public servant with the rare talent of being able to frame liberal arguments in a way that makes it possible for conservatives to hear them.”
She also noted her personal connection to Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, referring to them as friends.
“I love Pete,” Harris reportedly wrote. “I love working with Pete. He and his husband, Chasten, are friends.”
Harris and Buttigieg both ran for president in 2020, but the Democratic nomination ultimately went to then-candidate Joe Biden. Buttigieg was later appointed Secretary of Transportation, a position he held throughout the Biden administration.
107 Days is scheduled for release on Tuesday, September 23. Publisher Simon & Schuster described the book as providing “surprising and revealing insights” into the campaign, offering “an unfiltered look at the pressures, triumphs, and heartbreaks of a history-defining race.”
The publisher said Harris recounts campaign strategy sessions, debate preparations, and private moments during what she characterized as one of the most consequential presidential campaigns in American history.
Fox News Digital reported that representatives for Buttigieg had been contacted for comment regarding Harris’s statements. Neither Buttigieg nor his team has issued a response to the excerpt.