September 18, 2025
‘But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man,’ the former vice president writes in her upcoming memoir.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris wanted Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was her running mate during her 2024 run for the White House but declined to pursue the arrangement because it was too risky.
The Atlantic reported this news, from her highly anticipated book, 107 Days, on Wednesday. The book will be released on September 23.
Harris writes that Pete Buttigieg “would have been an ideal partner–if I were a straight white man.
“But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man,” Harris writes. “Part of me wanted to say, ‘Screw it, let’s just do it.’ But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk.
“And I think Pete also knew that—to our mutual sadness.”
Who Is Pete Buttigieg?
Buttigieg entered the national spotlight at the beginning of 2019 when he announced his candidacy to become the Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential election.
It was a risky move for the then-mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He entered a pool of more than 20 Democratic hopefuls that included then-Senators Harris, Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Buttigieg had no experience on the national level, unlike his counterparts, and was considered a “low-tier” candidate. As an openly gay man, political pundits said America was not ready for an openly gay president and a First Gentleman.
But he built an incredible coalition, and his ground game helped him narrowly win the first-in-the-nation caucuses in Iowa. He tied with Sanders for the most delegates in the New Hampshire primary. After placing fourth in the South Carolina primary, he dropped out on March 1, 2020. He later endorsed Joe Biden.
At 38, Buttigieg was the youngest candidate in the 2020 Democratic primary race, a veteran who had served as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, including a six-month deployment in Afghanistan. He later became Secretary of Transportation.
Along with Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz were all on Harris’ shortlist of running mates. Walz ultimately got the nod.
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