Pete Buttigieg has expressed his disagreement with Kamala Harris’ explanation for not choosing him as her running mate during the 2024 US presidential election — saying voters care more about results than personal identity.
The comments follow the release of Harris’ new memoir, 107 Days, in which she reveals that Buttigieg was her preferred pick for the ticket. However, she ultimately selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, citing concerns that having a Black woman and a gay man on the same ticket could be too politically risky.
“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 writes in the book.
“It’s About What You Can Do for Voters”
Responding to the comments at an event in Indiana on Thursday, Buttigieg told Politico he was surprised to learn he had been Harris’ top choice and disagreed with the idea that identity politics should have played a decisive role.
“My experience in politics has been that the way that you earn trust with voters is based mostly on what they think you’re going to do for their lives, not on categories,” he said.
“You just have to go to voters with what you think you can do for them. Politics is about the results we can get for people and not about these other things.”
A “Mutual Sadness” — Or a Miscommunication?
In her book, Harris says that she and Buttigieg shared a “mutual sadness” over the decision not to choose him. She describes Buttigieg as a “sincere public servant” with the rare ability to connect with both liberal and conservative audiences.
“I love Pete. I love working with Pete,” she writes. “He and his husband, Chasten, are friends.”
However, Buttigieg says the conversation Harris describes never actually happened — and that he was not aware he was being seriously considered for the role.
“That was not something that we ever talked about,” he said. “I didn’t know that I was her top choice.”
Tensions Behind the Scenes
Elsewhere in 107 Days, Harris criticises former President Joe Biden, calling his decision to run for re-election “reckless.” She suggests her campaign may have been more successful had Biden stepped down earlier in the race, giving her more time to prepare.
Harris eventually became the Democratic nominee after Biden ended his campaign in July 2024, leaving her only 107 days to mount a nationwide election effort.
