Harris clarifies Buttigieg remarks, says decision was about electoral risk, not sexuality
In a televised exchange, Kamala Harris says Pete Buttigieg was not ruled out for reasons tied to sexuality, citing the high-stakes 2024 race and her reflections in the book 107 Days.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow pressed Vice President Kamala Harris on whether Pete Buttigieg was passed over for the 2024 ticket because of his sexuality, a claim Harris addresses in her new book, "107 Days."
She responded, "That's not what I said, that he couldn't be on the ticket because he is gay." Harris also noted that in "107 Days" she wrote that Buttigieg "would have been an ideal partner – if I were a straight white man." She said the interview reflected the intense time frame of the campaign and the stakes of a contest against Donald Trump. "We had such a short period of time. And the stakes were so high. I think Pete is a phenomenal, phenomenal public servant," she added.
Harris explained that her point, as she writes, was the risk involved in naming a running mate under extreme pressure: in 107 days, in one of the most hotly contested elections for president, against a candidate who had already demonstrated a willingness to challenge established norms, choosing a gay man as a running mate could have been a risk. "My point is, as I write in the book, is that I was clear that in 107 days, in one of the most hotly contested elections for president of the United States against someone like Donald Trump, who knows no floor to be a Black woman running for president of the United States, and as a vice presidential running mate, a gay man. With the stakes being so high, it made me very sad. But I also realized it would be a real risk," she said. She noted that her decision was made with two weeks to go and that she was trying to balance readiness with the political moment.
"And I think America is and would be ready for that. But at when I had to make that decision with two weeks to go. You know, and maybe I was being too cautious... maybe I was, but that’s the decision I made. And I’m, as with everything else in the book, I'm being very candid about that, with a great deal of sadness about also the fact that it might have been a risk," Harris continued. She reaffirmed her lifelong support for LGBTQ rights, saying she was an ally long before entering national office.
She also called former President Donald Trump a "tyrant" during the interview, and urged a broader critique of business leaders who she argued did not speak up against his administration. "Democracy sustains capitalism. Capitalism thrives in a democracy. And right now, we are dealing with – as I called him at my speech on the ellipse – a tyrant," Harris said, linking the political fight to the role of corporate leaders in defending democratic norms.
The remarks come as Buttigieg remains a frequent subject of national political discussion. A Democratic National Committee vice chair noted that Harris's acknowledgement of the tradeoffs she faced could keep Buttigieg in play for a potential run in 2028, illustrating how the president and vice president’s public comments can influence long-range planning for the party.
