GEOFF BENNETT: And for some analysis# of one of the busiest weeks of the## 2024 presidential race so far, it's our# Politics Monday team.

That's Amy Walter## of The Cook Political Report With# Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

Hello, hello.

TAMARA KEITH, National Public.. GEOFF BENNETT: So, Vice Presiden.. energy, and a ton of money from Democrats, Tam.

The question is, how can her campaign sustain this# momentum for the next 99 days into Election Day?

TAMARA KEITH: Right.

Well, the goodness for them# is that there's only 99 days until Election Day.

The campaign says that they got 100 and... AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: A hundred# and eighty million, right, something like that.

GEOFF BENNETT: Almost $200 million.

AMY WALTER: Two hundred# millions dol.. Look, there has been -- we were# talking about this before we## went on the air.There has been a pent-up# enthusiasm among Democrats for someone,## anybody who could prosecute the case against# Donald Trump.

They have that now in Kamala Harris.

But do you want -- OK. And then I'm going to# keep going.

And they finally have that ability## in Kamala Harris to make that case.

Now, look# -- that's -- I think that's not the part that## she has to be as concerned about right now,# is keeping enthusiasm up among Democrats,## because it's not as -- some of it is about# her, but it's really, as it's long been,## about not being Donald Trump and having somebody# who can make the case against Donald Trump.

GEOFF BENNETT: One more question for you,# Amy, as, Tam, you recover.

How are you doing?

AMY WALTER: Yes.

TAMARA KEITH: Working on it.

GEOFF BENNETT: OK.

So we have seen# this p.. Harris is within one point of# Trump with likely voters.

And## this is a major improvement when you# look at where President Biden was.

GEOFF BENNETT: He was behind six points# after the debate just a month ago.

Is## this national shift something that we're# seeing in battleground states as well?

AMY WALTER: Yes, not as dramatic as that, but# what we're seeing in some of the battleground## state polls that have come out in this last week# is a shift two to three points in Harris' favor,## which is good news if you're Kamala Harris.

But, as we discussed with this enthusiasm# question, the real challenge, I think,## going forward for Harris, isn't that# she got the base consolidated?

Well,## actually, let me be fair.

It wasn't always# a given that the base would be consolidated.

So, in one week, to go from being# the vice president who maybe,## could be -- we don't know if she's going to# be able to do this, to she's now gotten the## base behind her is something that I# think was surprising to a lot of people,## including a lot of Republicans, who were hoping# for a more dramatic and less unifying experience.

But now she has to go the next step.# So getting you two to three points or,## in that national poll, moving four or# five points gets you in the margin,## but it doesn't get her ahead.

So she's got# to make now the sell to the swing voters.

So we are expecting some time in the next# week for V.P.

Harris to name her running## mate.

She has to do it before August 7 to get# the ticket on all 50 state ballots.

Who among## the reported short list do you think boosts# the Democratic ticket in those battlegrounds?

AMY WALTER: Yes, in those -- well, it# goes back to my previous point about,## what do you need to do with your V.P.

candidate?## Do you need to keep the base energized# and excited?

I don't really think so.

Remember, Donald Trump's pick of Mike Pence was# because he had a base problem.

Evangelicals were## not sold on Donald Trump.

They didn't believe# that he was going to follow through on many of the## promises that he had made on the campaign trail,# so Pence was the person to bring those voters in.

Harris, I don't think has to worry about,# where our Democrats going to be.

Is the## party unified?

Instead, she needs somebody to# maybe soften the edges of her record.

Now, look,## we're hearing President Trump on the campaign# -- former President Trump on the campaign trail,## Republicans who are running downballot, attacking# her as somebody who's way, way, way to the left.

I think Trump called her the most liberal# person who has ever run for president.

So## getting somebody who's more of a centrist# is what I think becomes more critical,## which puts a lot of those names like# Mark Kelly and Josh Shapiro in the mix.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, let's talk about Donald# Trump's selection of J.D.

Vance, because J.D.## Vance is getting a lot of scrutiny now for# his controversial comments about women without## children.

He called them childless cat ladies,# said they're miserable with their own lives.

GEOFF BENNETT: He said this years ago while# he was running for the Ohio Senate seat.

GEOFF BENNETT: But he has not disavowed# the comments, and he said in a podcast## just the other day that he stands# by the substance of what he said.

There are lots of Democrats now who are# more than happy to target J.D.

Vance... GEOFF BENNETT: including the Senate Majority# Leader -- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Vance seems to be more# erratic and more extreme than President Trump,## and I will bet President Trump is sitting# there scratching his head and wondering,## why did I pick this guy?

The choice may be one# of the best things he ever did for Democrats.

GEOFF BENNETT: And Chuck Schumer, we should say,## is the majority leader.

I have# a lot in my head.. GEOFF BENNETT: So I was trying to think, what# year is this?

Who actually controls the Senate?

GEOFF BENNETT: In any case, has# J.D.

Vance -- how you doing, Tam?

TAMARA KEITH: I think I'm better.

TAMARA KEITH: I had some warm water, some#.. GEOFF BENNETT: Our viewers were concerned, so... GEOFF BENNETT: Has J.D.

Vance# become a liability for Republicans?

TAMARA KEITH: He has had a really terrible,## no good week.

He has somehow# galvanized people who own cats.

At the -- I went to -- I covered Harris at# this fund-raiser she went to.

There were## people outside of her fund-raiser holding# up signs that said "Cat Ladies for Kamala## Harris."

This is after he -- essentially,# he has a long file of things that he has## said back when it didn't matter what he said,# because he wasn't going to be vice president.

He was the author of a book and a guy# running for the Senate in a Republican## primary.

And so at one point, he had said# that people who -- I think he called Harris,## a woman without children, a cat lady,# and others who don't have children,## who should somehow have less# political power than those who do.

And that just set people off.

Now, maybe those# people were never going to vote for Trump.

But,## generally speaking, with your vice# presidential pick, you -- either you## want it to be additive or you want it to be# a wash. You don't want it to be negative.

And what Trump now has is# voters, everyone, the media,## very focused on Vice President Harris and# this huge amount of fund-raising she had,## and then all the remaining oxygen is going to# his vice presidential pick and his very bad,## no good week and all the crazy things he's saying# or said five years ago that have now become memes.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

And it allows Democrats# to settle on this new messaging, where it's## not just offensive; it's also really weird.

We# keep hearing like the Democrats like Tim Walz## and Brian Schatz and even Vice President# Kamala Harris have said on the stump## that the things that Trump and Vance and# other Republicans have said are just weird.

Dissect that as a strategy.

AMY WALTER: Well, we talked about this so much# when we were at the convention together, Geoff.## Like, his pick of J.D.

Vance was a sign of supreme# confidence.

Like, we got this in the bag.

We## don't need to reach out to swing voters.

I'm not# really worried about those, because we're winning.

hand he wasn't put on the ticket to make up for# some deficits that Trump may have or to win over## new voters.

He was put on as an additive# onto Trump.

And so, of course he's turned## off swing voters, because he was never brought on# to appeal to swing voters, and he's never had to.

Remember, his race in Ohio, this is a race he# did win pretty handily, and yet not -- for a## state as Republican as that, he didn't have to# ever kind of tack to the middle.

And he did not## win by as big of a percentage as -- given where# the state is, as he could have or should have.

GEOFF BENNETT: Tam, earlier we were talking about## the -- Vice President Harris'# short list for running mates.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes.

GEOFF BENNETT: Based on your## reporting, who's on th.. TAMARA KEITH: Well, the short list is still# quite long, is what my reporting tells me.

TAMARA KEITH: We have two sources we have spoken# to who are familiar with Harris' thinking,## and they say that she hasn't narrowed# the list down.

It's about a dozen people,## that that decision will be made quite soon,# though, and that the qualities she's looking for,## among others, are executive experience and the# ability to be a governing partner with her,## as she sees herself as a governing# partner with President Biden.

That could be a lot of people,## but it certainly points in the direction of# governors, who have executive.. GEOFF BENNETT: All right.

Well, Tamara# Keith and Amy Walter, thanks, as always.

AMY WALTER: You're welcome.

TAMARA KEITH: You're welcome.