In an excerpt from her forthcoming memoir, Kamala Harris reveals that she contemplated Pete Buttigieg as her vice presidential running mate for the 2024 election, but notes one major obstacle: Buttigieg is gay. The Atlantic reports that Harris wrote in her book, titled 107 days, that Buttigieg “would have been an ideal partner – if I were a straight white man.” She argues that selecting a gay man would have been “asking a lot of America” at a time when the ticket already faced significant scrutiny for embracing a woman, a Black woman, and a Black woman married to a Jewish man.
Harris says she ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. The two went on to face Donald Trump and JD Vance in the general election and, according to the account, lost every battleground state. The Daily Mail published the excerpt and noted that Buttigieg has since married his husband, Chasten, with whom he has adopted two children. Harris wrote that she and Buttigieg remained cordial: “I love Pete. I love working with Pete. He and his husband, Chasten, are friends.”
Buttigieg, who became the Biden administration’s transportation secretary, was at the top of Harris’s running-mates list because she described him as a “sincere public servant with the rare talent of being able to frame liberal arguments in a way that makes it possible for conservatives to hear them.” Harris added that Buttigieg’s appeal lay in his ability to bridge ideological divides, a trait she valued during a campaign that faced stiff headwinds in polling.
Harris and Buttigieg previously ran against each other in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, with both dropping out before Joe Biden secured the nomination. Throughout the 2024 cycle, polling averages from RealClearPolitics showed Trump holding a lead over Harris in several key battleground states in the weeks leading up to election day. Political commentators debated whether Harris’s risk-averse strategy contributed to her electoral standing, with some noting that the race required bolder moves to improve her odds in swing states.
In the book’s framing, Harris reflects on what might have been had she made a different choice. Critics and supporters alike weighed in on her decision, highlighting the political risks of choosing a running mate who would symbolize a historic first in multiple dimensions while also introducing questions about social acceptance and national readiness. Some analysts argued that the decision to pivot toward a more conventional pairing could be seen as prioritizing electability over symbolism, while others contended that the political terrain in 2024 demanded a different calculus.
Harris’s memoir, 107 Days, is slated for release on Tuesday. The revelations in the excerpt reflect a broader narrative in which she recounts the strategic calculations and personal considerations that shaped the final months of her campaign, as well as the broader arc of her tenure in public life.