In her campaign memoir 107 Days, Kamala Harris revealed that she was dismayed when her running mate, Tim Walz, “fumbled” a key answer during the vice-presidential debate against JD Vance.
The debate, hosted by CBS News on 1 October in New York, was described as the final showdown of the campaign. Walz had been expected by Harris to be “the closer.”
It was written that Vance used a calm and friendly strategy instead of the usual anger and insults linked to Donald Trump. Walz was seen nodding and smiling at Vance’s “fake bipartisanship,” which left Harris frustrated as she watched from home.
The mistake came when Walz was asked by the moderator about his claim of being in Hong Kong during the democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. Instead of admitting a mistake in dates and speaking about human rights in China, it was explained that Walz spoke about biking in Nebraska.
The book noted that Harris moaned to her husband, Doug, during the debate and later laughed at a Saturday Night Live sketch that mocked the moment.
Although Walz was said to have “felt bad” about his performance, Harris assured him that the debate had little effect on the election.
In 107 Days – a title based on the length of Harris’s campaign after Joe Biden stepped aside – it was explained that Walz, Senator Mark Kelly, and Governor Josh Shapiro were considered for the role of running mate. Walz was supported by Harris’s senior staff, her sister Maya, and her 17-year-old godson Alexander.
However, Harris admitted that her first choice had been Pete Buttigieg, who was serving as transportation secretary at the time. She described him as “an ideal partner,” but it was believed that his selection would have been too risky because of his sexuality, given that Harris was already asking voters to accept a woman, a Black woman, and a Black woman married to a Jewish man.
It was admitted by Harris that the decision caused “mutual sadness” between her and Buttigieg.