In her forthcoming memoir, former Vice President Kamala Harris discloses that she dismissed the idea of choosing Arizona Senator Mark Kelly as her running mate due to concerns about potential attacks on his military record.
Instead, she selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who later faced criticism for misrepresenting his own military service.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, Harris found Kelly to be "magnetic," but was apprehensive about his lack of a defining moment in his political career. She expressed concern that his military service could be weaponized against him, much like the Swift Boat attacks on John Kerry in 2004.
"I realized I couldn't afford to test Mark Kelly in that ugly grinder," Harris writes in her book, titled '107 Days.'
The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign in 2004 cast aspersions on Kerry's Vietnam War record, contributing to the derailment of his presidential bid. The campaign was orchestrated by GOP strategist Chris LaCivita, who served as a senior adviser to Donald Trump during his presidential campaign.
Harris's choice, Governor Walz, came under fire for misrepresenting his 24 years of service in the National Guard. Walz falsely claimed to be a command sergeant major, despite retiring at a lower rank. He also claimed to have carried weapons "in war," despite never seeing combat. His misrepresentation of his military service dates back to 2006, when his congressional campaign's media kit falsely claimed he served in Afghanistan.
J.D. Vance, the then-Republican vice presidential nominee and a fellow veteran, repeatedly accused Walz of "stolen valor" on the campaign trail.
In her memoir, Harris also reveals that her first choice for a running mate was then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, not Walz or Kelly. However, she considered selecting Buttigieg, who is openly gay and married to a man, as "too big a risk." Harris believed that the American public was already being asked to accept a significant shift in traditional norms: "to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man."
Despite praising Buttigieg in her book, Harris criticizes two other prominent Democrats and potential 2028 presidential candidates, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. She describes Newsom as "unreachable" after then-President Joe Biden withdrew from the race. Shapiro, who was widely rumored to be Harris's most likely running mate before she chose Walz, was described as overly ambitious. Harris was concerned that Shapiro would not be content with the vice-presidential role.
Harris's memoir, set to be published on September 23, contains other notable revelations. She recounts a phone call from then-President Joe Biden moments before her first 2024 debate, inquiring if she had been disparaging him to donors. Harris also criticizes Biden's White House team, accusing them of failing to defend her record and intentionally undermining her, as revealed in an excerpt released by The Atlantic.
The revelations in Harris's memoir provide a unique insight into the strategic considerations and personal dynamics that shaped the 2024 election campaign. They also underscore the importance of military service records in American politics, and the potential for such records to be both a strength and a vulnerability.
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