The divergence comes as their party is grappling with its approach to diversity, as the Trump administration slashes through diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Democrats disagree about how much to emphasize such values after the GOP successfully painted the party as too “woke” — and now face new questions over how to field winning candidates.
Buttigieg, who appeared earlier Thursday afternoon with Democrats at a rally against a mid-decade redistricting effort in Indiana, cited former President Barack Obama winning the state in 2008 and his own two terms as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as evidence of his approach.
“You just have to go to voters with what you think you can do for them,” he said. “Politics is about the results we can get for people and not about these other things.”
Harris revealed that her one-time rival in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary was her initial pick for a running mate in a passage of her forthcoming book, “107 Days,” that was published in The Atlantic this week. The former Transportation secretary topped the list of eight names on her initial vetting list, she wrote, but was out of the running by the time she narrowed it down to her finalists.
“But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. 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,” Harris wrote.
She believed Buttigieg, who is father to twins with his husband, Chasten, “also knew that — to our mutual sadness.” Harris ultimately selected Tim Walz — the straight, white two-term governor of Minnesota who shares two children with his wife.
Buttigieg said Harris’ concerns were “not something that we ever talked about.”
Harris’ admission comes as both she and Buttigieg eye presidential bids in 2028. Buttigieg has carved out a lane for himself as one of Democrats’ most effective communicators at a time when the party is struggling to land on both a message and a messenger after last year’s shellacking.
In that elevated role, Buttigieg has publicly grappled with some of the biggest issues facing the party, including whether former President Joe Biden should have run for reelection.