South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) said on Thursday that former fellow presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) deserves to be considered as a potential vice presidential pick.
“I think she deserves to be under anybody’s consideration. She’s a formidable leader,” Buttigieg told NBC News when asked whether he was considering Harris as a potential running mate.{mosads}
“I have enormous respect for Senator Harris,” he said. “I think that she brought a great deal to the race, and she’ll continue to bring a great deal and her leadership to the country. I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to name — it’s very premature before the Iowa caucus for me to name-check anybody for the future.”
Buttigieg is not the only presidential candidate to say Harris should be under consideration for vice president.
Former Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he would consider Harris as a potential running mate.
“Of course I would,” Biden told reporters. “She is solid. She can be president someday herself. She can be the vice president. She can go on to be a Supreme Court justice. She can be an attorney general. She has enormous capability.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also said she would consider Harris as a potential vice president.
“Oh yeah. I mean look, Kamala Harris would be on any Democrat’s short list. She’s smart, she’s confident,” Warren told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell.
Harris dropped out of the crowded Democratic primary field earlier this week, citing financial difficulties in her campaign.
The senator was viewed widely as a potential front-runner before she entered the race, with some drawing comparisons between her and former President Obama.