Kamala Harris faces a crucial week ahead: What to watch for

Who will Kamala Harris pick as her VP?

Vice President Kamala Harris is interviewing a half-dozen potential running mates this weekend ahead of a formal announcement and a battleground tour with her new No. 2 next week.

Vice President Kamala Harris faces a busy and crucial week ahead that includes her most critical decision yet — choosing a running mate — while grappling with how to keep alive the early political momentum she’s seen.

The Harris campaign says volunteers placed 2.3 million phone calls, knocked on 172,000 doors and sent nearly 2.9 million text messages to voters in battleground states over 12 days. More than 130,000 people logged into an online organizing event with Harris and 750,000 people signed up for a campaign event for the first time, according to a memo.

While she has kept up a busy schedule of public appearances, she has rarely taken questions from the press and has not sat for an in-depth interview. And after four years advocating for Biden’s positions, she’ll have to stake out positions of her own on the political controversies that divide Democrats.

Here’s what to expect in the week ahead from Harris and her campaign:

Kamala Harris secures Democratic nomination

FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during a campaign event at the Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

On Monday, Harris will formally become the Democratic nominee, when online balloting among delegates concludes.

There's no suspense there: Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a virtual meeting with supporters Friday that Harris had already secured enough delegates to become the nominee.

Kamala Harris VP pick

The process of picking a running mate is a high-pressure decision that usually spans months, but in this case has been compressed into a matter of just weeks.

Harris effectively has a deadline of Tuesday to select who will be her No. 2 from a list that has been whittled down to four governors, a senator and a Cabinet official who was also one of her 2020 foes:

Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky
Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Battleground state visits

After Harris names her running mate, the duo will launch into an aggressive, seven-state battleground tour that begins in Philadelphia on Tuesday and winds through Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.

Campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez is now focusing more on Arizona and Nevada because of what officials say is Harris’ increased competitiveness against former President Donald Trump in the two states, both of which President Joe Biden won four years ago.

"Republicans for Harris"

On Sunday, Harris’ campaign launched "Republicans for Harris" in an attempt to win over Republican voters put off by Trump’s candidacy.

Harris’ team says the program will aim to use well-known Republicans to activate their networks, with a particular emphasis on primary voters who backed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

The program will kick off with dedicated events this coming week in Arizona, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Also, Republicans backing Harris will appear at rallies with the vice president and her soon-to-be-named running mate this coming week.

More debate chatter

Another big moment yet to come will be a debate between Harris and Trump — or not.

The two sparred over the weekend about when and where to debate. Trump pulled out of a Sept. 10 debate on ABC in favor of a Sept. 4 debate on Fox News. Harris' campaign says it's sticking with the original date, and Trump posted on social media, "I’ll see her on September 4th or, I won’t see her at all."

This story was reported from Detroit. The Associated Press contributed.