Thu Sep 18 11:30:00 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Harris Reveals Buttigieg Was Initial Top Pick for Running Mate, Ultimately Deemed “Too Risky”**
WASHINGTON D.C. – In a surprising revelation from her upcoming memoir “107 Days,” former Vice President Kamala Harris discloses that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was her “first choice” for a running mate in the 2024 presidential campaign. However, she ultimately chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, fearing that a ticket with a Black woman and a gay man would be too much for the American electorate to accept.
According to an abstract of the book, seen by *The Atlantic*’s Jonathan Lemire, Harris believed Buttigieg would have been an “ideal partner” were she a “straight white man.” She acknowledged Buttigieg’s strong name recognition, combative style against Republicans, and the potential to signal a generational shift within the Democratic party due to his age.
“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,” Harris writes. “And I think Pete also knew that—to our mutual sadness.”
Despite being on her initial eight-person shortlist, Buttigieg didn’t make the final cut. A source told Lemire that Harris did not discuss her reasoning with Buttigieg.
Walz, relatively unknown nationally at the time, saw his profile rise through frequent cable news appearances and by popularizing the “Trump and other Republicans are ‘weird'” attack line. Harris’ memoir reportedly does not reveal whether Walz was aware he was not her first choice.
The revelation follows a previous excerpt from “107 Days” in which Harris expressed strong criticism of President Biden’s initial decision to seek a second term. After a poor showing at a CNN debate, Biden suspended his campaign, leaving Harris with a late start to her own presidential bid. She wrote that Biden’s reelection bid “should have been more than a personal decision.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the offices of Harris, Walz, and Buttigieg for comment.
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