Kamala Harris to campaign in Phoenix next week with running mate

Vice President Kamala Harris will come to Phoenix next week with her soon-to-be-decided vice presidential pick, according to a Harris campaign official.

Harris will campaign in Arizona on Friday, Aug. 9, as part of a cross-country battleground state tour. The visit comes weeks after President Joe Biden stepped aside and Harris became the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee.

Harris will also make stops in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia and Nevada during her battleground campaign swing, spending time in the states where the election results are likely to be the closest.

The vice president has been a frequent visitor to Arizona, coming here six times during her tenure in the Biden administration. The visit to Phoenix next week will mark her first time visiting as the candidate at the top of the presidential ticket.

Harris has not announced who she will choose to be her running mate, but a prominent Arizona Democrat is among the contenders. Harris is considering Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., for the role, along with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, among others. Harris's first battleground campaign stop will be in Philadelphia, drawing speculation that she will pick Shapiro and kick off their trip in his home state.

Harris will visit Arizona days after Sen. JD Vance, former President Donald Trump's running mate, is in the state for his own campaign event. Vance will rally supporters in Glendale on Wednesday and then tour the southern border on Thursday.

Arizona is a crucial battleground state on the electoral map. Biden won by fewer than 11,000 votes here in 2020, his smallest margin of any state.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kamala Harris to campaign in Phoenix with running mate