Kamala Harris says picking a gay man for VP was too big of a risk

During a recent appearance on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow directly challenged Kamala Harris about a passage in her new memoir that seemed to suggest she scratched Pete Buttigieg from consideration for 2024 as her vice presidential pick “because he was gay.”

Harris was on the show to promote 107 Days, her behind‑the-scenes account of her short presidential campaign, marking her first extensive media interview since she lost to Donald Trump. In the book, she reveals that Buttigieg was her “first choice” for the ticket, but ultimately she selected Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota.

In the book, Harris writes that Buttigieg “would have been an ideal partner — if I were a straight white man,” but she judged pairing a Black woman presidential candidate with a gay man as “too big of a risk.” Given those lines, Maddow, who is openly gay, pressed Harris to explain what she meant. “To say that he couldn’t be on the ticket effectively because he was gay, it’s hard to hear,” Maddow said.

Harris reacted swiftly, saying she didn’t mean Buttigieg “couldn’t” be on the ticket because of his sexuality. Instead, she framed her decision as a strategic calculation given the compressed campaign timeframe and the high stakes of running a barrier‑breaking ticket. She acknowledged that the choice left her “very sad,” conceded she may have been overly cautious, and emphasized that she has long been an ally to the LGBTQ community — insisting there was no malice or prejudice in her thinking.

She also praised Buttigieg’s public service, calling him “phenomenal.” Harris wrote that since her candidacy already tested America’s willingness to accept a Black woman — especially one married to a Jewish man — adding another identity challenge to the ticket felt too risky at the time. She said she believed Buttigieg understood that decision, even though it pained them both.

Buttigieg later responded, telling Politico that concerns about his sexual orientation were never part of their conversations. He said he was surprised by what Harris had written, and urged that Americans deserve more credit than to assume they would reject such a ticket simply because of identity.

Source: NEW YORK POST