Harris says Buttigieg would have been an ideal partner but risk kept him off ticket, Maddow presses

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow pressed Kamala Harris on Monday night about her decision to sideline Pete Buttigieg as a potential running mate, a conclusion she describes in her memoir as influenced by the political risk of a diverse ticket in a tight race. The interview, conducted during a visit to promote Harris's book 107 Days, was her first public discussion since she conceded defeat to President Trump.

Harris said Buttigieg was her first choice to join the ticket, but she ultimately selected Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. In the memoir she writes that Buttigieg would have been an ideal partner if the circumstances were different, yet she determined the pairing carried too big a risk given the campaign’s stakes.

She told Maddow that the argument in the memoir was not about prejudice toward Buttigieg’s orientation but about the unique pressures of the moment: a Black woman running for president with a gay man on the ticket, in the context of a political landscape against a candidate who has defied norms. Harris said the decision was driven by timing and balance rather than personal animus, and she acknowledged she may have been too cautious in the campaign’s brief run.

She said she may have been too cautious and praised Buttigieg as a phenomenal public servant.

Buttigieg’s own reflections were shared in separate remarks: in an interview with Politico, he said he was surprised by Harris’s remarks about identity risk but added that Americans are capable of voting for a diverse ticket. He said he believes in giving Americans more credit than simply assuming they wouldn’t vote for such a ticket.

The exchange underscores the complexity of choosing a running mate in a rapid, high-stakes campaign and the broader conversation about race, gender and sexuality in American politics. The book and the interview come as allies and critics alike parse how the 107-day campaign informs current political calculations.