Michigan senator dodges on whether he would accept Harris VP slot

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) sidestepped a question Tuesday on whether he would accept the offer if Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, asked him to be her running mate in November.

MSNBC’s Jonathan Lemire asked Peters the question after Axios first reported organized labor advocating for the Michigan senator to join the ticket.

“I respect… vice president’s process,” Peters said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Tuesday. “She’s looking for a running mate now. She’s got a lot of wonderful folks that she’s looking at, and she’s gonna make a decision that’s right for her and right for the country.”

“It’s a intensely personal decision and — I wanna respect that process — and focus on what I need to be focusing on right now, as you mentioned in the opening is, I chair Homeland Security Committee here in the Senate,” he added.

Peters then went on to talk about the work his committee is doing, as well as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the campaign arm of Senate Democrats, which he is also the chair of.

Lemire called Peters’ answer a “dodge,” to which Peters responded with laughter.

The news comes after a source told Axios that labor leaders have talked with Harris’ campaign on having Peters be involved when it comes to the running mate choice process. An official with Michigan’s Democratic Party also said Peters has shown interest in the role and is trying to garner backing, according to the outlet.

Other names being floated as possible vice-presidential picks for Harris include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D). Kelly, Shapiro, Buttigieg and Whitmer have emerged as the top names.

Harris climbed to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Biden announced earlier this month that he would exit the race, and subsequently backed her to challenge President Trump in the fall. She has quickly snapped up key endorsements and boasted large fundraising hauls within days of his withdrawal.

An aggregation of polls from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ shows Trump in the lead with 47.8 percent support compared to the vice president’s 46.1 percent. A recent poll published Tuesday by Harvard CAPS/Harris puts the former president ahead of Harris by just 3 points, down from the 7-point lead he held over Biden before his exit from the race.

Overall, polling has shown good news for Harris and the Democrats.