Harris to meet vice president candidates this weekend before making her pick

By Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris plans to meet in person this weekend with the top contenders vying to become her presidential running mate for November's election as she nears a final decision on her pick, according to two sources familiar with the process.

On Friday the Democratic candidate met one-on-one with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, one of the leading contenders, and the meeting lasted roughly 90 minutes, according to two other sources familiar with the meeting.

Harris is expected to make her choice by Monday ahead of her first public appearance with the new vice presidential nominee on Tuesday in Philadelphia. The Harris campaign is also planning a social media announcement featuring the duo, officials familiar with the planning told Reuters.

Other contenders include Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, the sources said.

The choice of a running mate is one of the most consequential decisions of Harris' political career, as she hastily pulls together a campaign to challenge Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month. Her shortlist of candidates includes all white men with a track record of winning over rural, white or independent voters.

Harris' decision also influences the future direction of the Democratic party, elevating the chosen candidate to the front of the line for future presidential contests.

Some candidates on the shortlist have already rescheduled or delayed plans over the next few days, indicating they needed to clear some time for a face-to-face interview.

Shapiro, for example, canceled planned fundraisers in the Hamptons this weekend aimed at raising money for his PAC, or political action committee. "His schedule has changed and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend," his press secretary Manuel Bonder said.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder and the law firm Covington & Burling were hired by the Harris campaign to investigate potential vice-presidential candidates.

They have completed their work and turned over their findings, a source told Reuters.

Harris and her new running mate are expected to embark on a four-day tour of battleground states on Tuesday that will take them to six other locations including western Wisconsin, Detroit and Las Vegas. The first stop, Philadelphia, has fueled speculation that Shapiro is a frontrunner, but the campaign has warned against reading too much into the choice.

Typically, campaigns begin thinking about their vice-presidential pick after the primary race ends in the spring, giving them months to vet candidates and make a decision based on polling data, personality and other factors, but Harris has been forced to make the choice on a compressed timeline.

(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose; Editing by Heather Timmons, Deepa Babington and Rosalba O'Brien)