Democrats are eagerly awaiting to see whom Harris picks as her running mate, as contenders including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz continue stumping for the vice president. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has taken himself out of consideration, in a sign the accelerated search has entered a new phase.
Meanwhile, Harris endorsed Biden’s call for major Supreme Court reforms today, saying the changes would “restore confidence in the Court” and “strengthen our democracy” in a statement released by the campaign. Trump slammed the proposal, calling it a “typical Biden con.”
Our live coverage has ended. Follow the latest 2024 election news here or read through the posts below.
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"White Dudes for Harris" raises $4 million as thousands of white men rally behind presidential bid
From CNN's Ebony Davis
“White Dudes for Harris,” a mass fundraising and organizing call for Vice President Kamala Harris, raised over $4 million on Monday night as thousands of white men, including celebrities and politicians, rallied on a virtual call in support of her presidential bid.
The call, hosted by Ross Morales Rocketto, organizer of White Dudes for Harris, included actors Bradley Whitford, Mark Hamill, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Gad and Paul Scheer — along with Rep. Adam Schiff and Harris campaign co-chair Mitch Landrieu.
Former *NSYNC member Lance Bass also made an appearance and expressed that Harris’ decision to run after President Joe Biden stepped aside has given him hope for the country’s future.
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Megan Thee Stallion to perform at Kamala Harris rally this week
From CNN's Arlette Saenz and Elizabeth Wagmeister
Megan Thee Stallion performs on the Verizon Stage during the first day of the BottleRock Napa Valley Festival at Napa Valley Expo in Napa, California on May 24.
Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images
Megan Thee Stallion is expected to perform at a rally with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday in Atlanta, a source familiar confirmed with CNN.
The rapper posted a flyer to promote the performance on her Instagram account on Monday evening with the caption: “ATL HOTTIES SEE YOU TOMORROW,” along with an American flag emoji.
Her publicist, Didier Morais, also posted about the performance on Monday, tagging the vice president on his Instagram. CNN has reached out to Morais for additional comment.
Megan Thee Stallion, who has more than 32 million Instagram followers, is the latest Hollywood star to endorse the VP as she sets out on her presidential campaign.
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Potential VP picks speak on "White Dudes for Harris" Zoom call. Over $2 million raised in first 20 minutes
From CNN's Rashard Rose
Several Democratic politicians floated as potential running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on the “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom call Monday night.
Fundraising effort: More than $2 million had been raised in donations in the first 20 minutes of the call, according to a fundraising tracker on the call.
Here’s what some of the politicians said:
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker stressed that the next 99 days of Harris’ campaign won’t be easy but argued “there’s nothing that scares (former President Donald Trump) more than facing off against a smart accomplished woman who will call him out on his bullsh*t.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz slammed Trump on the call, telling participants to “keep hammering on these guys. Shrink them. Is (Trump) a danger to society? Yes. Is he a danger to women’s health? Yes. Is he a danger to world peace? Yes. But don’t give him more credit than he needs. He’s just a strange, weird dude.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that “it’s less so that we are saving our democracy and more that we are building one. And that’s what we’re part of, and that’s definitely something as a father, that I’m excited about being able to tell my kids.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who CNN reported Monday has removed himself from consideration to be Harris’ running mate, praised the vice president’s record, calling her a “strong woman” that the nation needs.
CNN’s Ebony Davis and Gregory Krieg contributed to this post.
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RFK Jr. campaign submits signatures in eight states
From CNN's Aaron Pellish
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign announced Monday it has submitted signatures in eight new states in recent days.
The campaign said in a news release it has submitted signatures over the past several days in Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon and West Virginia, taking a big step forward in the campaign’s effort to qualify for the ballot in all 50 states.
Kennedy’s campaign had finished collecting signatures in Idaho, Iowa and Ohio but delayed submitting them until closer to the submission deadlines in those states.
Kennedy is currently on the ballot in 12 states and is eligible to receive 145 electoral college votes. Including those announced Monday, the campaign has submitted petitions in 33 states.
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Trump again says if Christians vote for him in November, they won’t “have to do it ever again”
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a conference at the Palm Beach Convention Center on July 26, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump on Monday said if Christians vote for him in November, they won’t “have to do it ever again,” repeating remarks he made Friday at a conservative Christian event.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham responded, “You meant you don’t have to vote for you because you have four years in office?”
“Look, look, Christians are known, you know who else doesn’t vote? Gun owners don’t vote,” Trump said.
After Ingraham pressed further, Trump said he told Christians in the room that “you have to vote on November 5. After that, you don’t have to worry about voting anymore. I don’t care, because … the country will be fixed, and we won’t need your vote anymore. … And I think everybody understood it.”
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JD Vance's former friend says emails show political transformation on "literally every imaginable issue"
From CNN's Eric Bradner
Sofia Nelson appears on CNN on Monday, July 29.
CNN
A Yale Law School friend of Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who has revealed years of emails the two previously exchanged, said Monday that the Republican vice presidential nominee is a “chameleon” who has changed his views on “literally every imaginable issue.”
Sofia Nelson, a transgender public defender in Detroit, shared dozens of emails she and Vance had sent between mid-2014 and early 2017. The New York Times first reported on the emails.
At the time, Vance was sharply critical of former President Donald Trump, his now-running mate; called the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia “a very shrill old man”; and said he hated the police. He was also personally warm with Nelson, expressing concern over the language he had used to describe their identity in his best-selling book.
Now, Nelson told CNN’s Erin Burnett, “I don’t see any of the man that I got to know and care about. It’s really heartbreaking to see him become so callous and divisive.”
Nelson’s comments come as Vance’s political transformation — from someone who had been privately and publicly critical of Trump, to, within years, one of the former president’s staunchest defenders on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail — is explored, a little more than three months from Election Day.
Trump calls on Arizonans to vote for Kari Lake in Senate race and bashes Ruben Gallego
From CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi
Former President Donald Trump called on Arizonans to “get out and vote” for Kari Lake in Arizona’s Republican Senate primary on Tuesday and derided the Democratic candidate, Rep. Ruben Gallego, as a “radical left, Democratic extremist.”
The former president attacked Gallego as a “radical left, Democrat extremist” and claimed the Democratic congressman is “not respected” in Arizona, mispronouncing Gallego’s name at times
As he accused Gallego of voting with President Joe Biden “100% of the time,” Trump said Lake “will be voting with us all the way down the line on energy independence and everything else.”
He also took a swing at his own Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris.
“And don’t worry, Kari, I have the same problem because I have one that’s the most left-wing person that’s ever run for the high office in our country, and that’s Kamala,” he said.
Rep. Ruben Gallego launches his “Juntos for Gallego” Latino coalition aimed at mobilizing Latino voters on Monday, July 29, in Phoenix, Arizona.
CNN
US Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who’s running in a pivotal Senate race in Arizona, on Monday launched a coalition aimed at mobilizing Latino voters, a key voting bloc in the state.
If he wins in November, Gallego, who is uncontested in the Democratic primary, would be the first Latino senator from Arizona. He has participated in events aimed at reaching the Latino community, including holding a town hall in Spanish, attending a watch party for the Copa América, and judging a tamale festival.
Republican front-runner Kari Lake has also tried courting Latino voters, debuting a “Latinos for Lake” coalition, campaigning with former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz at a boxing gym, and visiting a Mexican butcher shop and market.
Ricardo Reyes, a 42-year-old Marine Corps veteran from Phoenix, told CNN he’s backing Gallego, a combat veteran, because he understands what the community needs.
A first-generation American of Mexican immigrants, Reyes said it’s also important to him that Gallego is someone who has “lived through the immigrant experience that I have.”
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Trump says he will continue to hold outdoor rallies after assassination attempt
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump said Monday he would continue to hold outdoor rallies after the assassination attempt at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month and said he thought it would be “important symbolically” to hold another campaign rally in Butler.
“You’re going to do rallies outside?” Fox News host Laura Ingraham said to Trump during a sit-down interview.
“Yeah, I’m going to do rallies,” Trump said.
The Washington Post has reported Secret Service officials have encouraged Trump’s campaign to stop scheduling large outdoor rallies after the assassination attempt.
“I think it’s important symbolically. I don’t think we should be stopped by somebody that has severe mental problems or whatever his problem was,” Trump said of returning to Butler for a rally.
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Trump points to Harris’ age and the way she laughs as he criticizes her
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris’ age and the way she laughs while criticizing her Monday.
“I think she’s a worse candidate than [President Joe Biden]. She’s far more radical left. She is younger. I mean, she’s 60 years old. … I didn’t realize she was 60. I thought she was a little younger. But she’s 60. She is talking a big game, but her game is pretty bad,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
Remember: Harris is 59 years old, and Trump is 78.
"This just wasn't the right time": North Carolina Gov. Cooper says on removing himself from VP consideration
From CNN's Rashard Rose
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has spoken out about his decision to take himself out of considerations to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
Cooper’s post comes as CNN has reported that he has taken himself out of consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ potential running mate, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.
“I strongly support Vice President Harris’ campaign for president. I know she’s going to win and I was honored to be considered for this role,” he said in the post.
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Why Harris supporters in Arizona say they hope Sen. Mark Kelly is her VP pick
From CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi in Phoenix
Several of Vice President Kamala Harris’ supporters in Arizona told CNN they hope she chooses one of their senators, Mark Kelly, as her running mate, touting his background and arguing that he would help deliver the battleground state for Democrats.
CNN previously reported that Kelly is on the short list of potential running mates for Harris.
Why Arizonans want to see Kelly on the ticket: They argued his background as a military veteran and NASA astronaut makes him a great pick — and that having dealt with immigration issues as a senator from a border state sets him apart.
“We’re jazzed about Mark Kelly, in part because he’s from Arizona, but really because he’s a man of honor and decency, he’s served our country in many ways, and he’s representing us well in the state of Arizona,” said Democratic voter Scott Blades of Tucson.
Kelly is not “just a yes-man,” said Bob Bobber, a 67-year-old Democratic voter from Tempe. He accused Republicans, including GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance, of doing whatever former President Donald Trump says to do. “It would be a smart choice because [Kelly’s] a man of conviction, as opposed to … JD Vance,” he said.
Several Harris supporters also mentioned Kelly’s support for his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, as she recovered from a gunshot wound to the head in 2011, arguing that it shows his character.
“What a wonderful husband. He loves her so much that he was willing to take care of her. And then he realized that he needed to finish the work that she hadn’t finished. That’s beautiful,” Cecilia Valdez, an at-large Democratic delegate from Tucson who worked for Giffords’ congressional campaign, told CNN.
Why Arizona Democratic officials argue in favor of Kelly: While they have cautioned that it’s Harris’ choice to make, Democratic officials say Kelly could bring in new voters.
Kelly “has proven through his elections that he attracts, not just our base, not just Democrats, but independents and Republicans,” Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said.
Picking Kelly “would seal the deal” on a Democratic win in the battleground state that President Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, Rep. Greg Stanton said.
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Trump says he’ll "probably end up debating" Harris
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump said Monday that he would “probably end up debating” Vice President Kamala Harris but that he “could also make a case for not doing it.”
His comments come after the Trump campaign said last week it would not commit to any future debates until the Democratic Party formally chooses a nominee. Harris has accused the former president of “backpedaling” on a debate.
“The answer is yes, I’ll probably end up debating. I think actually the debate should take place before the votes start being cast,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
“I could also make a case for not doing it,” he said and attacked ABC News. Trump and President Joe Biden had previously agreed to a debate hosted by ABC in September.
“Then why not debate her?” Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked.
“Well, wait. But because they already know everything,” Trump said.
Former President Donald Trump on Monday defended his running mate, JD Vance, as the Ohio senator faces criticism over his previous comments about women without children.
Vance has come under scrutiny for resurfaced comments from 2021 in which he described Democrats without children as “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.”
Trump added: “All he said is … he likes family. I think a lot of people like family, and sometimes it doesn’t work out, and … you don’t meet the right person or don’t meet any person, but you’re just as good, in many cases a lot better, than a person that’s in a family situation. But they took and it spun it differently.”
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Trump claims without evidence that Democrats "staged a coup" with Biden ending 2024 campaign
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Former president Donald Trump takes part in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Monday, July 29.
From Fox News
Former President Donald Trump on Monday claimed without evidence that Democrats “staged a coup” when President Joe Biden ended his 2024 campaign and backed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
“They staged a coup against the president of the United States. They went and told him, ‘You’re leaving, you’re way down in the polls,’” Trump claimed without evidence.
Trump said in an interview with Fox News, “It’s like, you’re in a fight with somebody and you’re really winning, and they take him out and they put somebody else in. Nobody ever heard of this before. This is a coup. They took him, they said, ‘Even though you got 14 million votes, you’re out.’ And he said, ‘I’m not going out.’”
Some background: Biden’s decision to leave the race came after a disastrous debate performance at the end of June, which led to party leaders, rank-and-file lawmakers and donors piling on the pressure for the president to step away. It’s a high-risk, high-reward gamble for Democrats, resetting a campaign Biden was losing with a new nominee just months before the election.
Washington Post: JD Vance privately told donors Harris entering the race was a "political sucker punch"
From CNN staff
Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, told donors at a private event that Kamala Harris entering the race and likely becoming the Democratic nominee for president was “a little bit of a political sucker punch,” according to reporting from The Washington Post.
A Vance spokesperson, however, continued to project confidence about the race.
“Poll after poll shows President Trump leading Kamala Harris as voters become aware of her weak, failed and dangerously liberal agenda,” William Martin said in a statement to CNN.
Martin said Harris’ “far-left ideas” are playing worse “in the key swing states that will decide this election like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.”
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Trump slams Biden's call for major Supreme Court reforms
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump on Monday bashed President Joe Biden’s call for major Supreme Court reforms, including a constitutional amendment stripping the president of immunity for crimes committed while in office, term limits for Supreme Court justices and a binding code of conduct for the high court.
Biden’s call for reforms to the nation’s highest court came after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump may claim immunity from criminal prosecution for some of the actions he took as president. The decision was 6-3, with liberals in dissent.
Trump said if he were reelected, he would keep the Supreme Court “the way it is,” and claimed the major reforms Biden proposed were “never gonna happen.”
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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper removes himself from Harris running mate consideration
From CNN's MJ Lee and Jeff Zeleny
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaks at a Biden Harris campaign event at James B. Dudley High School on July 11, in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Allison Joyce/AFP/Getty Images/File
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has taken himself out of consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ potential running mate, according totwo sources familiar with the discussions.
The factors behind the decision: Cooper, viewed as one of the top contenders for the role, is said to have expressed concern about going through the veepstakes process at age 67. There has also been concern among some Democrats about Mark Robinson, North Carolina’s Republican lieutenant governor, who the state constitution says would perform the duties governor’s duties when they are absent.
New phase of search: This development is the latest sign that the search has entered a new phase, according to two people familiar with the matter. Cooper, the oldest candidate under consideration, had the longest standing relationship with Harris. But his age was thought to be at odds with Harris’ push for a vigorous, younger ticket, the sources said.
Polling and research are underway for other top contenders, sources said, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
A decision could come within the week — but is expected before August 7.
CNN has reached out to a representative for Cooper. The Harris campaign declined to comment.
This post has been updated with additional information.
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A look at Harris' schedule for this week
From CNN's Aileen Graef
Here’s what’s on Vice President Kamala Harris’ calendar this week:
Tuesday: The presumptive Democratic nominee will travel to Atlanta, where she will deliver remarks at a campaign event. It will be her sixth visit to Georgia this year.
Wednesday: Harris will be in Houston to deliver remarks at Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.’s 60th International Biennial Boulé. This marks Harris’ third Black sorority boulé this month as she seeks to mobilize the key constituency. She previously delivered remarks at biennial gatherings for her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and Zeta Phi Beta.
Thursday: The vice president will deliver a eulogy in Houston for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, the longtime Democratic congresswoman from Texas who died this month.
