Harris VP pick expected Tuesday. Beshear’s place uncertain as Walz & Shapiro stock rises

The backroom drama centered on who will become Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate ends Tuesday when the Democratic ticket hits the big stage in Philadelphia.

It’s still possible she could pick Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. However, recent reports from national outlets indicate the 46-year-old governor most likely will be staying in Frankfort.

To be certain, as of about 5 p.m. Monday, no official word of Harris’ decision has leaked. We’ll know for certain no later than Tuesday morning when a video announcement is to be shared.

And then later Tuesday, Harris is to campaign alongside her choice of running mate at a large campaign rally in Philadelphia.

Typically, vetting VP candidates takes months. But Harris has been forced to move faster than Thor since President Joe Biden announced July 23 he was ending his reelection campaign.

The 81-year-old Biden buckled under withering criticism from within his party that he lacked the stamina to serve and was unlikely to knock off former President Donald Trump a second time. Biden immediately threw his support to Harris, the 59-year-old native Californian.

What happens next?

There’s been a whirlwind of reporting, speculation and cable news predictions on who Harris will pick.

Reuters claimed Monday midday the list of candidates was down to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. But as of late Sunday, the New York Times was reporting that Beshear remained a possible “compromise candidate.”

“Mr. Beshear has spent time over the past two weeks auditioning before multiple groups of major donors who have been eager to kick the tires on him, including one invite-only session on Friday evening, according to two people briefed on his activities,” the Times reported.

To make matters even more interesting, and conflicting, a local Detroit television station claimed to have a White House source and reported mid-Tuesday that the list was narrowed to Beshear, Shapiro, Walz and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The station, FOX2, reported Harris had already made her decision and the person selected had accepted.

Shortly thereafter, CNN reported that Harris had “trained her focus on Josh Shapiro & Tim Walz in the final hours of her process,” with Kelly still being a possibility.

Several outlets reported Shapiro, Walz and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly met with Harris in-person at her residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington on Sunday.

Eric Hyers, Beshear’s chief political strategist, has not responded to requests for comment on Beshear’s place in the so-called “veepstakes.”

Beshear posted from his personal account on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, of his whereabouts on Saturday night in Louisville (a baseball game with his son) and Sunday morning (attending a church service in Frankfort.)

On Monday morning, Beshear spoke to the National Conference of State Legislatures gathering in Louisville.

The two-term governor was scheduled to host a fundraiser for the Harris campaign in Chicago Monday afternoon alongside Christie Hefner, the former CEO of Playboy Enterprises and daughter of founder Hugh Hefner, and Gordon Segal, the former CEO of furniture giant Crate & Barrel, among others.

This story may be updated.