Kickoff tour for Harris and her VP starts in Pa. and hits every swing state

Jonathan D. Salant / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

WASHINGTON — Once Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris picks her vice president, the two plan a national tour of swing states — starting with Pennsylvania, the biggest prize of them all, and the home of Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is on the short list of possible running mates.

The campaign announced that the candidates would hold a rally in Philadelphia Tuesday, then head to cities in Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia and Arizona before ending the tour Saturday in Nevada.

Several stops will be in the largest cities in those states, where the Democratic turnout is crucial. Besides Philadelphia, rallies will be held in Detroit, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

“Where else do you think they’re going to go?” Democratic consultant Glenn Totten said. “This is going to be a very close race.”

First comes the choice for vice president. Mr. Shapiro has emerged as a leading contender, in part because of Pennsylvania’s importance to the party. U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Navy veteran and former astronaut, also hails from a swing state and is on the short list. 

The schedule reflects how important Pennsylvania, the most populous swing state, and the other Blue Wall states of Wisconsin and Michigan are to the Democrats’ chances of winning in November. Campaign officials have said that the easiest road to victory in November consisted of holding those three states that traditionally back Democratic presidential candidates but flipped to Trump in 2016, allowing him to win the White House, before returning to their Democratic roots in 2020.

It also reflects optimism that having a ticket led by Ms. Harris rather than President Joe Biden gives the party a better chance of expanding the electoral map.

Recent polls show Ms. Harris doing better than Mr. Biden against former President Donald Trump as Democrats are more enthusiastic about their new candidate.

“The enthusiasm deficit was simply because too many Democrats were worried that Biden couldn’t win because of his age,” Mr. Totten said. “Now Vice President Harris electrifies certain parts of the Democratic Party. The  enthusiasm factor hasn’t just just been energized, it’s been reversed.”