‘Doesn’t Matter’: CNN’s Paul Begala Pooh-Poohs Idea That Kamala Harris Should Pick a Swing State Politician as Running Mate

Democratic strategist and CNN commentator Paul Begala spoke against electoral orthodoxy when he said Vice President Kamala Harris should not choose a running mate based on the state they are from.

Harris became the presumptive nominee this week after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid on Sunday, three weeks after his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump . When she is nominated next month, she will become the first Black woman nominated for president by a major party, and the near-universal consensus is that she will select a White man to balance out the ticket. Some of the names being floated include politicians from swing states, such as Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro .

“I have a completely heretical view,” Begala said on Thursday’s AC360 . “The map doesn’t matter for spit. Nothing. It doesn’t deliver anything. It never has. I was working for President Obama’s reelection PAC, and Mitt Romney picked Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan’s beloved in Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s a swing state. Romney not only didn’t win Wisconsin, he didn’t win Paul Ryan’s congressional district. So, the map is a myth.”

Begala went on to say his test for choosing a running mate is, “Does my momma look at this and say, ‘Oh, well they would be a good president. They could step in.’ Nothing else matters. I’m telling you, the map is baloney.”

It should also be pointed out that Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina did not help John Kerry win that state in 2004. Moreover, Al Gore did not even win his home state of Tennessee when he was at the top of the ticket in 2000. And of course, there was the time Rep. William O. Butler of Kentucky ignominiously failed to deliver the Bluegrass State for Lewis Cass in 1848

Watch above via CNN.