Kamala Harris gives major hint at who her VP pick will be ahead of announcement next week

Democratic candidate hopeful Kamala Harris is expected to announce who she has picked to be her running mate next week in Philadelphia. 

Harris and her vice presidential pick will embark on a battleground tour next week with stops in seven swing states from Pennsylvania to Nevada. 

Harris' decision to kick off the tour in Pennsylvania has triggered speculation that her VP might be Josh Shapiro, the governor of the swing state. 

According to Politico, Shapiro is one of the top contenders for the role that her team are vetting.

Despite the speculation, Harris told reporters on Tuesday that she had not yet made a decision as to who she would select as her running mate. 

The outlet reported that Harris is to interview potential nominees in the upcoming days. 

Other names in the mix include Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg.  

Shapiro told enthusiastic voters in suburban Philadelphia earlier this week that he believes Harris belongs in the White House. 

He also reminded those who gathered of all his work as governor in the battleground state.  

While Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told voters in Georgia that Harris has the makings of 'a great president' and highlighted the elections he's won as a Democrat.

According to campaign sources, who spoke with the Associated Press, Shapiro and Kelly are among the front-runners.  

Harris, according to another person familiar with the matter, is seeking someone with executive experience who can also serve as a governing partner. 

Notions of a so-called short list have not stopped those on the Democrats' broader national bench from finding the spotlight.

Shapiro, 51, is among the most popular U.S. governors, winning his 2022 election in a rout over a Trump-endorsed Republican. 

He's an outspoken supporter of abortion rights who has won three statewide elections in Pennsylvania. 

His speaking style draws comparisons to former President Barack Obama. But he has taken flak from the left for his support for Israel's war on Hamas, a private school voucher program and natural gas infrastructure.

His allies argue that he would help Harris win Pennsylvania, complicating if not blocking Trump's path to an Electoral College majority.

Harris is the only White House hopeful who has so far qualified to compete for the Democratic nominee, the Democratic National Committee said on Tuesday.  

The DNC's announcement officially clears the path for the vice president to seek her party's nomination uncontested.

During a rally on Tuesday, Harris pulled a line from rapper Quavo to try and turn the tables on Donald Trump for his criticism that she and President Biden have failed at the southern border.

She called out her 2024 presidential rival at a campaign rally in Atlanta as 'not walking it like he talks it' on illegal immigration.

With the Migos rapper in attendance - along with raunchy 'Savage' performer Megan Thee Stallion - the vice president also pushed her Republican rival to commit to one or more debates rather than continue to publicly call her names, challenging him to 'say it to my face.'

After statements from both performers, Harris attempted to turn the tables on the open borders argument by blaming Trump, leaning into her background as an attorney general in California, a state she was quick to remind attendees, shares a border with Mexico.

'I went after transnational gangs, drug cartels and human traffickers that came into our country illegally,' Harris said.

'I prosecuted them in case after case, and I won. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has been talking a big game about securing our border, but he does not walk the walk.

'Or as my friend Quavo would say, he's not walking it like he talks it,' she quickly added, in reference to the rapper's 2018 Migos hit, 'Walk It, Talk It.'

To bolster her point, Harris pointed to the prospective pressure Trump put on his Republican allies within the Senate this past January, when he reportedly told them to kill any border legislation that wasn’t 'perfect.'

Her comments appeared to come in reference to a recent ad being run by Trump's team, which focuses on Harris's questionable record when it comes immigration.

She also referenced how Trump has called her 'crazy' and a 'bum' - criticisms she said would be better made face-to-face.

'I do hope you'll reconsider to [meeting] me on the debate stage, because as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face,' Harris, 59, said shortly after taking the podium.

She went on to express her desire to win come November and unite the country in the process, while framing her conservative rival as a phony who 'does not care.'

'He only cares about himself,' she further claimed, vowing to revive the bipartisan border bill if elected.