Kamala Harris Reveals Tim Walz Was Not Her First VP Choice in New Memoir
Sept. 19, 2025, Published 6:20 p.m. ET — Kamala Harris has revealed in her explosive new memoir that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was not her first choice for vice president during her ill-fated and brief 2024 presidential campaign, RadarOnline.com can report.
Harris promises to lift the lid on the circumstances surrounding her hastily assembled race, which was put together following President Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
Harris Rejects Selecting Pete Buttigieg for VP
Just days away from the September 23 release of her highly anticipated memoir, 107 Days, Harris is set to deliver a “behind-the-scenes account” of the “high-stakes” campaign she led after Biden suspended his re-election bid three months before the election.
Among the early revelations is that the 60-year-old had a different running mate in mind — but knew it would be a tough sell.
According to a preview published in The Atlantic, Harris originally considered former Secretary of Transportation and close friend Pete Buttigieg for the VP role. However, she ultimately decided it would be “too big a risk” for a Black woman to run alongside a gay man.
“Buttigieg would have been an ideal partner – if I were a straight white man,” Harris details in her book. “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.”
Buttigieg Left Perplexed by the Decision
Harris shared in her book that “Pete knew” about the risk. Yet, Buttigieg told Politico on Thursday, September 18, that the news was surprising to him, strongly stating he believed voters should make the ultimate decision.
“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,” Buttigieg responded.
He cited President Obama’s successful campaigns and his own two terms as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as examples of letting voters decide.
“You just have to go to voters with what you think you can do for them,” he added. “Politics is about the results we can get for people and not about these other things.”
Harris to Reveal More About Election in New Book
Harris will hit the road next week to promote her memoir and is expected to face numerous questions about the book and her failed campaign.
She first announced 107 Days in July via her official X account, sharing a video with the caption:
“What the world saw on the campaign trail was only part of the story. My new book is a behind-the-scenes look at my experience leading the shortest presidential campaign in modern history.
107 Days is out on September 23. I can’t wait for you to read it.”
In the clip, Harris described her campaign as “intense, high-stakes, and deeply personal.”
Behind the Scenes
The former vice president added: “Since leaving office, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on those days. Talking with my team, my family, my friends, and pulling my thoughts together. In essence, writing a journal that is this book.
“With candor and reflection, I’ve written a behind-the-scenes account of that journey. I believe there’s value in sharing what I saw, what I learned, and what I know it will take to move forward.
“In writing this book, one truth kept coming back to me: Sometimes the fight takes a while.”
https://radaronline.com/p/kamala-harris-pete-buttigieg-vice-president-gay-tim-walz/