Harris' running mate search nears the finish line: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, we report on how Vice President Kamala Harris' search for a running mate is nearing the finish line. Plus, senior national political reporter Jonathan Allen examines the risks of Donald Trump putting Harris' race and ethnicity at the center of the campaign.

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Harris' VP search nears the end

By Yamiche Alcindor, Julie Tsirkin and Rebecca Shabad

The vetting team for Vice President Kamala Harris has met with six potential running mates as her selection process nears its end, two sources familiar with the campaign said.

The six contenders are:

• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
• Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly
• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

All of them are around the same age as Harris, 59, or younger, and most have already stumped for the vice president on the campaign trail or in media appearances since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Shapiro met with Harris’ vetting team on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the meeting. The vice president was not present, the source said.

Shapiro canceled fundraisers in the Hamptons this weekend originally scheduled to raise money for his PAC, his press secretary Manuel Bonder confirmed. “His schedule has changed and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend,” Bonder said.

Two sources familiar with the process said Kelly met with Harris’ vetting team Tuesday afternoon. Kelly missed at