Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
- Kamala Harris selected Tim Walz as her running mate.
- According to someone on the vetting panel, Walz's lack of presidential ambition played a part.
- Josh Shapiro was seen as overly ambitious, contrasting with Walz's deferential approach, CNN said.
Vice President Kamala Harris' selection of Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate was influenced by his lack of ambition to become president someday, a member of the vetting panel said.
Cedric Richmond, a former Louisiana congressman who CNN said was part of a three-person committee appearing on Zoom interviews with the running-mate shortlist, appeared on CNN on Tuesday evening to discuss Walz's selection.
He said Harris wanted someone who would put the American people first, have good chemistry with her, and understand the vice-presidential role.
Richmond said: "Gov. Walz fit that mold, and he expressed that he didn't have ambition to be president."
CNN reported, citing sources, Walz's lack of presidential aspirations was appreciated by Harris' team, which hoped to minimize internal drama in a Harris presidency.
Politico said, citing somebody involved in the vetting process who was granted anonymity to discuss the meeting, Walz told Harris and the vetting team: "I'm at the end of my career. This is not about me. This is about America's working families."
While Walz came across as deferential, CNN said, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, considered a frontrunner in the veepstakes, was perceived as overly ambitious during his vetting interview.
CNN added that this followed through to his in-person meeting with Harris, where he posed "very specific" questions about the decisions he would be involved in should they win the election.
An unnamed Democratic advisor told the media outlet: "He was negotiating the job with her, while Walz was saying, 'What can I do to help?'"
When asked whether Walz's lack of presidential ambitions differed from Shapiro's, Richmond said Shapiro is talented and cares about the American people, as did other running mate contenders, such as Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky.
Neither Walz nor Shapiro responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.