tomorrow is a very big day for msnbc, because it officially marks 100 days until the presidential election. we have got great guest in store, including the triple c chair, congresswoman susan dell

lane, and of course the chair of the senate democratic campaign, gary peters. they will all be together for one big camp panel starting here tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. eastern. velshi finishes our coverage. take it away! >> forget about tomorrow! that show was brett! >> white, he said, that show was black?>> he said brat. >> well, i heard black. [ laughter ] >> okay, the masculine that one mapping. >> brat is very lit, you are up on the lingo. >> the way i developed that was very cringe. you have to admit. >> i am just drinking this. "velshi" starts now.

good morning, it is saturday, july 27th. in less than one week at the top of the ticket, joe biden's chosen successor, vice president kamala harris has raised tens of millions of dollars in security the endorsements of more than 300,000 delegates to the democratic national convention, which represents the vast majority of all the pledge the delegates, making her the party's effect on nominee. according to her campaign, harris raised more than $100 million in the first 36 hours after she replaced biden at the top of the ticket. that cash infusion more than doubled the $96 million cash on hand at the biden-harris campaign have it the end of june. the money has just continued to pour in. hurt run has also mobilized thousands of volunteers across the country. they are not assigning up to help harris campaign, also for other democrats in down battle races. democratic party's biggest names have thrown support behind her including additional

leaders like chuck schumer, hakeem jeffries, and nancy pelosi. most recently, she received a high-profile endorsement from barack and michelle obama who pledged to do everything we can, they say, to make sure she wins in november. she has even received beyonci's approval to use her song, "freedom" throughout her campaign. the interest gives democrats the unquestionable boost of enthusiasm that they needed. it is too early to tell if the bid can actually move the needle for democrats. the overall status for democrats remains close. you notice-- the latest national polling shows donald trump leading harris by one point among likely voters and among two points among registered voters. both of those resorts results are well within the margin of error. like the past few elections, this race will be decided by a handful of battleground states. lately, it seems like the most crucial battleground states this year are the ones along

the industrial midwest, in a areas sometimes referred to as the rustbelt. it used to be called dusty old belt, referring to the heart of the country were still bit, manufacturing and coal mining where once the terms of the industry. the term refers to the economic and industrial decline during the mid to low late 20th century. some people consider it at term because it is a moniker that reflects the region's revival in recent years. it's political significance is one reason why the national convention was held in milwaukee, the same theory city harris chosen as the site of her first official rally of her own presidential campaign. next month, the democratic body will hold its convention in another city in that region, chicago. both campaigns understand how important the region is doing the election.

in 2016, trump won the three swing states in the industrial midwest, wisconsin, and pennsylvania. those same three states went for biden. the battlegrounds of arizona, georgia, nevada, wisconsin, michigan, pennsylvania offered democrats the best path to victory. trump likely can't win without flipping at least one of those states, either. it probably factored into his thinking when he chose ohio senator j.d. vance to be his running mate. one speaker at this year's are in c refer to vance as the rustbelt boost candidate. this would factor into harris's thinking as well. among those in consideration to be her running mate are illinois governor jb pritzker, gretchen whitmer, josh shapiro, and transportation secretary buttigieg, who once served as the mayor of south bend, indiana. this part of the country is looming large over this year's election. you should expect to hear more

about it as the candidates return to the region over and over in the coming months. for more i am joined by alysia johnson, former senior advisor to joe biden's 2020 campaign and former chairman of the republican national committee, you know him as one of the cohosts of the program "the weekend," that airs right before "velshi" right here on msnbc. good to see both of you, a few minutes after we said hello. good to see you. you and i were together about 12 hours ago talking about this. one of the things you talked about, it does not seem donald trump has done with his running mate, j.d. vance, what, harris wants to do is expand the board a little, bring someone in as her vice presidential candidate that will get her votes that might not naturally or already be there and the industrial midwest is one of those areas. >> absolutely. i think vice president harris is looking for a running mate that will pick up someone who will also be a great very get in

states. the reality is, today is 101 days until election day-- whatever the nominee is will probably post up in one of those states that travel throughout the midwest. one of the things that has come about as we have this groundswell as of organizing support of so many different fashions to boost elections. now, there is a play for georgia, arizona. we seem a lot stronger in some of these other swing states. we can widen our map and widen the path to victory. all of these things are in consideration as she looks at her vice president pick, one that can continue this momentum and bring enthusiasm that we have that we need to continue towards-- as we get to election day. >> michael, there are all sorts of reasons why different parts of the country are important. we will talk about all of them over the next few months. this particular part of the country, the industrial midwest, was once known as the

blue wall, largely a democratic stronghold, strong unionization in those factories. what happened and how are republicans able to gain ground in this region and how do you see that playing out the next few months? >> i think it is a very important point to focus on. the blue wall was the number of electoral votes that it was actually an advantage that democrats had going into presidential cycles, where they really only had to win one state of florida, or pick another state to get to 270. republicans had a harder climb. what trump did in 2016 was, he not only chipped at that wall, but he moved three of its bricks, wisconsin, michigan, and pennsylvania. that reset the letourneau map for republicans. when you pull back how he did it, it was really appealing to working-class, white, suburban voters. in focusing on those issues

that were driving them at that time. a lot of folks aligned with trump and in large measures have stayed with him. the challenge became in 2020, keeping those bricks and holding onto them. biden was able to pull them back. the way that he did it, making them appeal, very much as you noted, to that region of the country and specifically to those voters. this election is no different. those three bricks, michigan, wisconsin, pennsylvania are sitting on the table. the question is, who can grab them first? of those bricks for democrats, i believe, probably the most important is pennsylvania, because the map is much more difficult if they don't win pennsylvania. you will see a lot of focus, whether josh shapiro is vice presidential nominee or not, a lot of focus on the state of pennsylvania and what it has

come to mean as the quintessential battleground state. it has replaced, remember florida, florida, florida, it is now pennsylvania, pennsylvania, pennsylvania. to point, which is very important to note, the transition to kamala harris, the film field has brought in, it has become a better play for democrats, more competitive now in georgia, arizona, nevada, et cetera. so, the mathworks a little bit better for them. that is what is going to make this race so much more dynamic than it was two weeks ago. >> one of the things joe biden had in his pocket if he is the unionist president in memory. he knew that going into his campaign. he demonstrated that during the election. it was surprising to see the head of the teamsters union speaking at the republican national convention given the shot to evade the

strike at ups. i got a sense that will come in a matter of days. i will be speaking to sarah nelson and randy weingart this weekend. what does kamala harris need to do to inherit as a part of that administration, the strong union support, because there is correlation between that and that part of the country we are talking about here is >> one of the things she is considering is her running mate record, and how constituents feel about her record. that is a very big decision to make. with unions comes a lot of underground organizing, speaking directly to working- class. we saw president biden actually go to the picket lines. i think folks have to see vice president harris positioned herself that well as well. as long as i have known her in politics, she is not afraid to standing up to big corporations. her speeches were incredibly powerful, talking about how unions and labor workers, the

labor union has significantly shaped our nation when it comes to all of the benefits for workers. one thing i also want to add, in addition to eking to working-class voters, particularly in these three swing states, other issues democrats have been running on the past few years are doing well in the states. we had democratic governors in these states, with scope around issues in these states. that will tap into the ability to talk to the role workers for these union members will be a really strong opportunity for us. she is looking for a running mate that will complement that and add to it. >> michael, talk to me about the other theme kamala harris has come out with this week. different than what we talked about, where we are worried about democracy. we are worried about when trump says, you will not have to vote again after this election. he will be dictator for the day.

kamala harris is leading into the future, kamala harris is leading into themes of the future, obviously reproductive rights. it seems sunnier, it seems brighter than what donald trump seems to offer. >> is he is on a number of levels. i think for folders who are trying to figure out where hope lies, i think thematically, certainly through her speeches she has done so far, that is where she is headed. she wants folks to follow her there. it is hoped, but it is hoped that is grounded in freedom. it is an interesting combination. i think this idea of choice is not just about abortion, but is the ability to choose, to make choices in our lives that accentuate, and actually serve as an example of the freedoms we have here in this country. why people come to the united

states. kamala harris is prepared to talk about that. republicans want to throw the borders narrative at her and make it a negative. her comeback is, well, we negotiated a way forward, a hopeful way forward. we got conservatives, and progressives in the room and hashed out an agreement. it was you, donald trump, who said tear it up for political. i need something to run on for november. you do not care about the country and you did not care about the freedom people have to make the types of choices that you want to take away from them. i think she is creating a very interesting place and space for this campaign narratively, juxtaposed against these sorts of darker tones of trump, which talks about, i'm your retribution, i'm going to be a dictator, and by the way, this will be the last time you get to vote.

>> grateful to both of you. they are kicking us off. thank you so much to valencia johnson for doing double duty in the last two shows i have done. michael steele, thank you, my friend, former chair of the republican national committee and cohost of the weekend that airs right before "velshi" at 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. eastern. tomorrow morning, we are kicking off a whole day of 100 days until the election. coming up, i'm joined by a senator from one of these important this dates we have been discussing, gary peters of the home and committee. tomorrow marks 100 days until the election day. my colleagues and i will break down what comes next in this historic election and what surprises may still be in store. according to donald trump, if he has his way, this election might be our last. again, christians, get out and vote! just this time. you will not

have to do it anymore, four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine. you will not have to vote anymore my beautiful christians. i love you. i am a christian. i love you, get out. you got to get out and vote. in four years, you will not have to vote again. we will have it fixed so good, you will not have to vote. vote. so you can get back to your monster to-do list. -really? -get a quote at progresivecommercial.com. announcer what if you could whiten your teeth by simply brushing your teeth? now you can with smileactives, the teeth whitening breakthrough that safely gets your teeth white and keeps them white every day just by brushing your teeth.

christine i never thought that whitening my teeth could be so easy. i just put the gel on the brush, the toothpaste on it, brush and i can see my white teeth. announcer simply add smileactives to any toothpaste, and our patented polyclean technology activates into a powerful micro foam that penetrates into the enamel surface to safely lift and remove stains. robert you need a simple way to withen your teeth without strips, without trays, without going to the dentist. and it was about time that a product was developed that you would be able to do that with just brushing. announcer and now smileactives is even better. with new pro whitening gel with 33% greater whitening power. clinically shown to whiten teeth faster up to eight shades. 100% of users saw whiter teeth on food stains, coffee and wine stains, even on veneers, crowns and dentures. paul i eat the blueberries, i drink the coffee and i know that smileactives will keep my teeth white every day. janell if you could do something so easy like smileactives to take yellow teeth to white teeth,

why wouldn't you? announcer why spend hundreds of dollars for whitening treatments at the dentist, when now you can whiten your teeth with new smileactives pro whitening gel every time you brush your teeth. call or go to smileactives.com and for a limited time get new pro whitening gel for just $24.95. order in the next 5 minutes and buy one get one absolutely free for just $24.95. that's two for one and save 58%. we■ll even include free shipping. get your teeth whiter, guaranteed, or return it within 60 days for your money back. i smile every day now. the difference is literally night and day. so now i'm always smiling or cheesing because now my teeth are much wither. announcer this offer is not available in stores, so call or click now before the special buy one, get one free offer goes away. team usa is back! before the special buy one, let's see that enhanced 4k from xfinity. wow. everything you'd want is right here when you say... “olympics” so, what if your favorite athlete is... "grant hollowa”" nice.

or you can't get enough... “swimming” definitely adding that to favorites. now let's check... “medal coun”" and when is gymnastics on? “olympic schedule” it's that easy. find it, see it, count on it with the best seat in the house. get the fastest connection to paris with xfinity.

which is worse, being written out of the american dream, being feeling like you have been rendered invisible, or witness a political charlatan hijack your voice to push an agenda to perpetuate your eraser. since now vice presidential candidate j.d. vance published his memoir in 2016, it has faced criticism from many in appalachia who accuse him of distorting his rags to riches story by making generalizations about a region that spans 13 states in which 26.4 million people live. the

renowned social justice advocate brian stevenson said quote, the greatest pain is to be seen as a problem to be fixed, instead of a person to be loved. vance's book portrays appellations as lazy, drug addicted drug addicts. along reagan's notorious welfare queen stereotype, one used by conservatives to justify cuts to government assistance. vance, a retired marine, law school grad turned tech pro, takes liberties in speaking in the name of poor white communities, but he did not actually grow up as a hillbilly from appalachia. he is from middletown, ohio, a suburb of cincinnati, technically not even a part of appalachia. by the time he was born, he was two generations removed from that region. "hillbilly elegy" is less an memoir and a privilege class estate on a entire region. vance's generalizations, he

generalizes his family's experiences, including his mother's drug addiction to all apalachee. he never considers the opioid crisis, that has left appalachian communities devastating. it is a fact he conveniently leaves out, perhaps because of his connection to big pharma. vance's depictions of appalachia mirrored the dehumanizing narrative that have long been used to justify the flirtation of its labor and its land. appalachian writer meredith mccarroll sees vance as a part of this long and troubled history writing quote, first it was timber, then cold, now it is identity. vance tapped a vein and extracted an identity that allows them to be of the people, while he blames the people for their challenges. he climbed the ladder and pulled it up behind him, blaming those left behind. in quote. vance in fact blames nothing of evidence. showing that there is use of

corporate neglect and exportation. according to researchers that profiled hundreds of people in the region quote, they worked harder than either of us ever will, but still could not pay their bills. public policy should not be based on a golden boy who beat the odds, it should recognize the experiences of the best lots of americans who are following all the rules and still following behind.". vance's distortion of appalachia to advance political ambitions is a part of a large troubling pattern with the ohio senator, his opportunism and naked ambition. republican senator mitt romney noted this character flaw all along saying, he could not disrespect someone more than j.d. vance. this criticism came after vance did a complete 180 on the trump, going from being a vocal critic of his movement in the run up to his 2022 senate campaign. he used quote, how can you go over a lot so stark as that? it is like really? you sell yourself so she. now,

with vice president kamala harris at the top of the democratic ticket, the gop's assumptions about the race have been entirely updated and vance's controversial history is looking less appealing to republicans who were he could actually repel swing voters. recent polling shows vance is deeply unpopular. now, he is a part of trump's team. together, the convicted felon and the want to be hillbilly, selling snake oil to one or the everyday americans. recent polls indicate it is not so clear that the con is working anymore. perhaps it is best we heed the warnings of those that thought through vance early on. like the afro mentioned meredith mccarroll who in 2023 road, as vance answers the halls with a narrow of oppression blaming not purdue pharma, but his addicted mother, blaming the tax breaks that moved jobs out of the country, but the immigrants that seek a new home. blaming not the systems of poverty perpetuated in his

family, but rather the laziness of his own family. the stories he chooses to tell matter. pay attention to his narratives. they have taken him far and could continue to shift to carry him even further. furthe but shingrix protects. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today.

but it's under siege from big out-of-state media companies and hedge funds. now, california legislators are considering a bill that could make things even worse by subsidizing national and global media corporations while reducing the web traffic local papers rely on. so tell lawmakers, support local journalism, not well connected media companies. oppose ab 886. paid for by ccia. when we say it'll be on time, they expect it to be on time. turn shipping to your advantage. keep those expectations with reliable ground shipping. thanks brandon. with usps ground advantage®. ♪♪ (♪♪) (♪♪)

bounce back fast from heartburn with tums gummy bites, and love food back. (♪♪) before the break, i told you about j.d. vance's controversial memoir "hillbilly elegy" that has led to criticisms of his story and political opportunities. i am joined by the co-author of the book quote, appellation reckoning, a reasonable response to "hillbilly elegy" . she made headlines directly response in two j.d. vance, he is just the latest to exploit the region for personal profit. thank you for joining us. we appreciate having you here. let me ask about anything you recently published, a beautiful tribute titled, "a love letter

to appalachia." you wrote, when places are starved, it is easy to look away from them while extracting what is needed for them. the ways we understand groups of people directly impact how they are treated. but this is no eulogy. we needed no elegy. tell me what you mean. >> i think a lot of people in this broad and diverse vibrant region that is appalachia felt really misrepresented by j.d. vance both went "hillbilly elegy" was released, but then most recently as he stepped into the spotlight to speak on behalf of appalachians. and he speaks about appalachia as a place that is dead, and therefore needs an elegy to his book "hillbilly elegy" signifies to him that this is a place only worth leaving and looking back on as a place that you have to leave. i think that it is important for people within the region to speak on behalf of the region

as a place that is still very vibrant, and does not need a eulogy or an elegy. >> one of the things you point out in your work is that there are things that are wrong in the region, there are things wrong in all parts of the country, it is who you blame. it is how you understand the context of what is wrong. that is a problem of this country, a problem with our popular and polarizing movements all over the world. your point here is, it is not that nothing is wrong with the region, it is that there are forces to blame and j.d. vance has the brunt. >> sure. like you said, there are problems anywhere you look closely enough and start to pay attention. the way you look at those problems is important. the example that most readily comes to mind that i think you cited earlier is the one of j.d. vance looking at his mother's own addiction and not being able to place that in two the context of a broad, opioid crisis where the county and

area where she was living, where she grew up with a target for purdue pharma, being able to instead blame her for her addiction and not understand this is in the context of a system, and thinking about systems of oppression, structures that keep people down and keep certain people at the top. for me, it is really important when we are taking a broad look across time to think about, what is the history of appalachia, what has happened over and over in appalachia? you can look at a lot of different groups of minor ties people to ask these same questions, what tends to happen again and again? if you look at appalachia, you see this cycle where the place and the people in the place are belittled and i look down upon in order to justify taking what is needed from those places and those people. i think he is blaming the victim. >> this is important, because he is actually in a position of

authority. this is not just about you writing a book on someone who wrote a book you think. he is now the united states senator and in the place to be vice president of the united states. getting that interpreted wrong or incorrectly could have dangerous policy implications for the people in that part of the country. >> it could. i believe strongly whenever you tell lori, it needs to be truthful and when there is damage that is done when anyone tells this truth, his book before he was a senator, this book was a national bestseller, used as a way to try to understand trump's ascendance. lots of people read this book and thought, this is what appalachia is. this is an explanation from the inside, because he positions himself from the inside in this really interesting way. yeah, i think there is damage, no matter how powerful a person is. there is a responsibility to tell the truth. now, i think, yes, he has even more potential to do deeper damage because he is in a

position of authority, which i believe is his intention all along. >> that is what i want to ask you. what do you think influences his portrayal of an alum appalachian, which he is a little removed from, given his upbringing. he leans into it because it is a good storytelling device for him. what caused him to misrepresent it? >> well, i think that it is a ready story. it is a ready with that he leans upon. my understanding is that amy chua was a big influence for him at yale. my understanding is that amy chua kind of encouraged him to tell particular parts of the story. one example, he writes in "hillbilly elegy" about sort of positions himself as the dumb hillbilly at yale and feels like a fish out of water. i feel like that is an experience that a lot of people who have changed places and social classes can understand. he talks about not knowing which pork to use at dinner.

and he leans into that story in a particular way, i believe in order to show that he changed, that he once was this kind of silly hillbilly, and now he is no longer in that position. he got out of that, got his education, he left, but he is trying not to be the yale graduate. that is not the story that gets told by him most often. he wants the story to he got up and out i pulling up his own bootstraps from this place that is a difficult place to be raised in. and he did have a difficult upbringing, but he is casting-- painting with a really broad stroke about the entire region saying what happened to him is in fact the experience of appalachians everywhere. >> thank you for joining us. dr. merrill mccarroll, co- author of the book "a reckoning, a regional response to "hillbilly elegy." we will examine what each

brings to the table or ballot box. senator gary peters joins me to discuss his state and its importance during this election . that is coming up next on "velshi." "velshi." try dawn powerwash dish spray. it removes 99% of grease and grime in half the time. dawn powerwash has 3 cleaning boosters not found in traditional dish soaps that remove food and grease 5x times faster. and, because it cleans so well... you can replace multiple cleaning products for counters, stoves, and even laundry stains. try dawn powerwash dish spray. brand power, helping you buy better. ♪ that colonoscopy for getting screened ♪ ♪ is why i'm delaying ♪ ♪ i heard i had a choice ♪ ♪ i know the name, that's what i'm saying ♪ -cologuard®? -cologuard. cologuard! -screen for colon cancer. -at home, like you want. -you the man! -actually, he's a box. cologuard is a one-of-a-kind way to screen for colon cancer that's effective and non-invasive.

it's for people 45+ at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider for cologuard. ♪ i did it my way ♪

turning out to the middle east, where an israeli airstrike for a school being used for displaced people in central gaza have killed 30 people and wanted about 100

more according to the gaza health ministry. it says, they were using the facility as a command control center. earlier, the israeli military ordered the evacuation of parts of communist and southern gaza, which has been designated a humanitarian zone ahead of and an anticipated strike in the area. israel said, the anticipated operation is in response to rocket fire originating in the area and will target hamas militants. this all comes while prime minister benjamin netanyahu is in the united states. he met with former president donald trump at mar-a-lago yesterday in what appeared to be a staged, cabinet type meeting. on the heels of a meeting at the white house with president biden and vice president harris thursday and his address to congress wednesday. cease-fire negotiations are scheduled to continue tomorrow, this time in italy between the united states, israel, egypt, and catarrh, who are acting as mediators for hamas. we will be right back. ack. just got better!

now, when you purchase your brand new safe step walk-in tub, you'll receive a free shower package. yes, a free shower package! and if you call today, you'll also receive 15% off your entire order. now you can enjoy the best of both worlds! the therapeutic benefits of a warm, soothing bath that can help increase mobility, relieve pain, boost energy, and even improve sleep! or, if you prefer, you can take a refreshing shower. all-in-one product! call now to receive a free shower package plus 15% off your brand new safe step walk-in tub.

why use 10 buckets of water when you can use 1 fire extinguisher. and to fight heartburn, why take 10 antacids throughout the day when you can take 1 prilosec. for easier heartburn relief, one beats ten. prilosec otc. one pill. 24 hours. zero heartburn. progressive makes it easy to save with a quick commercial auto quote online. so you can get back to your monster to-do list. -really? -get a quote at progresivecommercial.com. hey folks, chris counahan here with leaffilter, america's largest gutter and gutter protection company.

leaffilter has over 150 locations and has been installed on over a million homes. we've been protecting homes now for over 20 years. our patented technology offers total protection for your home and comes with a lifetime transferable warranty. the process is simple. give us a call to schedule your free gutter inspection. if you decide to move forward with the project, you put nothing down at all. 833 leaffilter or visit leaffilter.com today.

is it safe to say then that if in fact you were offered the role of vice president harris's running mate, with you except that? >> look, i have so much respect for kamala harris, it would be hard to not to consider it seriously. >> this is not about me, but i have always, always when i have had the chance to serve, i think that is very important to

do. >> i am honored to be considered , and regardless of what comes next, i will do whatever i can between now and election day to elect kamala harris as the next president of the united states of america. >> the vice president now has a deeply personal decision to make, one that she is obviously quite familiar with, because she went through it with then candidate biden when she was selected to serve as vice president of the united states. that is a deeply personal decision that should be made free from any political pressure. what do oscar winners always say? it is an honor to even be nominated. with vice president kamala harris at the top of the democratic ticket, the search is on, so is the schmoozing for the opportunity to be her running mate. there is an august 7th deadline for the decision to be made, there are reasons for that. we will catch you up with what you need to know. eight autocrats are in contention to be the vice presidential nominee.

you can see them in alphabetical order. governor andy beshear, pete buttigieg, roy cooper, arizona senator mark cooper, pennsylvania governor josh shapiro, mission governor gretchen whitmer, and minnesota governor tim walz. there are lots of governors on that list, for good reason. campaign sources tell nbc news, harris is looking for someone who can be quote, a real governing partner who can be effective on day one. this morning, pennsylvania governor josh shapiro is participating in a volunteer kickoff event in carlisle, pennsylvania. tonight, governor andy beshear of pennsylvania will be hosting an event in iowa before heading to georgia on sunday. each of these contenders bring something different to the harris campaign in terms of wrangling both in the swing states. i am joined by nbc news washington correspondent christopher devine, associate professor of political science at dayton university and author of several important books on politics, including, do running mates matter?

welcome to both of you. chris, let's start with the title of your book, do running mates matter? there is a lot of conventional wisdom these days that they don't. when you look at trump's, j.d. vance, you almost wonder if they care about it. i think the math for kamala harris is a little different. thank you for having me on. for voters it matters. for reasons you just described, top criteria, which by the way, most presidential candidates say that. above all, they are looking at someone who can be vice president of the united states or on day one can be president and take over commander in chief . that is an important test and all of our research into one point, the main way voters are in by the choice of a running mate determines what tells us about the presidential candidate. if she were to make a responsible pick, voters would look at that and say, she has pretty good judgment. if she goes chasing after a

wayne state just to win an election and voters see through that, because someone not as experienced, it would regard her judgment more poorly and be less likely to vote for her. >> depending on how you count this, there are as many as 12 people potentially in the race. there are these eight we put on the screen. i looked at your reporting, there's a lot of people seem to think it is down to about three. it is down to mark kelly, roy cooper of north carolina, and josh shapiro of pennsylvania. giving a sense of what you are hearing about what they are down to. >> right now what i am hearing is that everything is early in this process has moved in earnest is what the campaign is saying. close campaign aids as well as harris i live have been telling me for weeks there is a quite look at what a campaign can look like while president biden was making his decision. starting exactly from scratch, but i would caution people, i

have been hearing those three names just mentioned from several sources. i don't think they are finally. i just think they are people that people like right now. i have heard it is about a dozen people they are looking at. i think it is a little too early to say who this list is winding down to. that being said, there is this idea, and charles has touched on this, there is an idea they want to bring in an electorate, internal polling according to a source from the campaign thinking told me they are looking at trying to bring in suburban women, as well as older white voters, those they believe president biden would have brought to the table. they also are looking at frank lee a middle-aged or older white man. i just talk to someone this morning who was telling me, they do not want to be in a situation that former president donald trump finds himself in now, j.d. vance is sort of now becoming a story with the cat lady means, and they want someone who is stable, a good judgment, and

also someone they feel like add value to the tickets and will not be a side story. one of the reasons they are looking typically at middle- aged and older white men i've been hearing is because they think the nation was see a ticket that reflects the country, including white men. also, they are trying to appeal , one source told me, familiar with the campaign thinking, there were some sort of racist do whom i feel comfortable. again, their language, who might feel uncomfortable voting for a black woman, but who do not like trump and did not like biden and will need a little extra validation to see themselves reflected on the ticket might make a more comfortable. in terms of paths to victory, they are looking at north carolina, georgia, and will not abandon the midwest. let's not forget, the vice president kicked off her campaign in wisconsin. someone talk to me this morning, nevada, the west also someone interest.

a lot more going into this decision, but very early. >> chris, let's talk that distinction, the distinction between coming from a state and possibly winning that state's electoral votes, like mark kelly from verizon or more cooper from north carolina or tim walz from wisconsin, versus seeking a candidate who appeals to a demographic with you can benefit from sharing of. some of those will be overlapping. what is your sense of geography versus democracy here? >> this is something my co- author and i studied pensively in our book to look at to what the vice presidential candidates deliver their home state or a region? we find very little evidence of that. in terms of demographic appeal, it is off if you find someone from a democratic, you therefore increase workboat share among that of voters. kamala harris did do better

among black and women voters, voters in particular in 2020, but just barely. if they are basing this pick on trying to pick up a state or demographic group, i think they are overestimating the influence of a vice presidential candidate. i go back to, it tells you about kamala harris, with her she was to tell herself to appear to group of voters, i think that could be more moderate. by choosing someone on the more moderate side could be andy beshear, josh kelley, that might influence how people perceive her and think, wow, i thought she was really liberal, maybe not, she picked andy beshear. >> there's also the argument about what the campaign leads into ideologically. kamala harris has been strong on abortion, she has been strong on issues like guns. what we saw the with different.

she was leaning into freedom, leaning into the future, into sort of a bright future contrasting it with the threat donald trump talk about the danger. that is a departure. many of us are about the end of democracy as we know it in america. donald trump said again yesterday, if you vote this time , you will not ever have to vote again. i don't know what that weirdness leaves. talk to me about kamala harris's visioning ideologically and how that figures into the vice residential takes. >> it is a key question, because i think there are two things going on here. i will say there is this sort of thesis and easy way to understand that she is pitching herself to the american people, which is that i am a prosecutor and he is a fraud or and sexual abuser. that is the language she has spent the lost the campaign. very clear to say, this election is not just about me and donald trump, it is the vision for america. she even saying, republicans

want to in the past and a place where we were less inclusive. i want to bring us into the future. kamala harris thing, i want an america where everyone feels like they can have a piece of the country and everyone is welcome to the table, including black and latino folk, and gaylesbian people, also white folks inking they have their own zoom, although will joining . i want to talk to people about sort of what democracy means. i am talking to people close to the vice president saying, one in the same, freedom is mike ruzzi, healthcare is a auctioning mike ruzzi, paid family leave is a function of democracy. all of the things she's talking about are a form of democracy. take it away, there is election there, that idea that there is a functioning democracy that has freedom, the government controlling your body in a working democracy, not just our elections. that is a message you will hear over and over from the vice

president. >> i have so many questions for both of you. we must do this again. chris devine, associate professor of political science at dayton. the author of multiple books, is the washington correspondent with nbc news. we will be right back. back. w? turn shipping to your advantage. with low cost ground shipping from the united states postal service. ♪♪ for more than a decade farxiga has been trusted again and again, and again. ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ ♪ far-xi-ga ♪ ask your doctor about farxiga. hi! need new glasses? buy one pair, get one free at visionworks! how can you see me squinting? i can't! i'm just telling everyone!...hey! buy one pair, get one free for back to school. visionworks. see the difference.

“the darkness of bipolar depression made me feel like i was losing interest in the things i love. then i found a chance to let in the lyte.” discover caplyta. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta is proven to deliver significant symptom relief from both bipolar i & ii depression. and in clinical trials, movement disorders and weight gain were not common. caplyta can cause serious side effects. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts right away. anti-depressants may increase these risks in young adults. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. caplyta is not approved for dementia-related psychosis. report fever, confusion, or stiff muscles, which may be life threatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements which may be permanent. common side effects include sleepiness, dizziness, nausea, and dry mouth. these aren't all the side effects. in the darkness of bipolar i & ii depression, caplyta can help you let in the lyte. ask your doctor about caplyta. find savings and support at caplyta.com.

here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need... ...without the stuff you don't. so, here's to now. boost.

coming up on another hour of "velshi." like most races, it will

come down to a handful of swing states. i will talk to gary peters of the all-important state of michigan. kamala harris's campaign has gotten multiple contributions from the tiktok nation. i will call this week's meeting for the "velshi" banned book club. another hour of "velshi." starts now. good morning. it is saturday, july 27th. with on 101 days left of election day, the monumental change at the top of the democratic ticket, a shift in the presidential race. kamala harris's six-day-old presidential campaign has completely reenergized party space as we enter the final months of this election cycle. democrats have quickly rallied behind her presidential candidacy, which has quickly mobilized volunteers to help

candidates up and down the alley. many primary names have also followed joe biden's lead in endorsing her presidential bid. target democrats including chuck schumer, hakeem jeffries and nancy pelosi have thrown their support behind harris. most recently, she received a high-profile endorsement from two of the most popular democrats in the country, barack and michelle obama who pledged to quote, do everything we can to make sure she wins in november. the vast majority of democratic delegates have already endorsed harris as well, which makes her the party's de facto nominee going into the convention. like most races, this will come down to a handful of swing states in the industrial midwest, which encompass parts of several states in the midwest and northeast. i decline for biden in georgia and nevada in the recent months, the midwest has offered democrats the best path to victory. until last month's consequential debate, biden remained competitive in

pean