Harris Faces Party Divisions as She Chooses a Running Mate

The final stage of the campaign to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate reached something of an ugly phase in recent days as donors, interest groups and political rivals from the party’s moderate and progressive wings lobbied for their preferred candidates and passed around memos debating the contenders’ political weaknesses with key demographics.

They turned most sharply on one of the favorites to join the ticket, Gov.

Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who has drawn opposition from progressives and even a senator in his home state.

Progressive groups have trained their criticisms on Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Kelly, who they accuse of being too conservative on key issues. Shawn Fain, the head of the United Autoworkers Union, said during a Sunday interview on CBS that Mr. Kelly had “not really” assuaged the union’s concerns about his commitment to pro-labor legislation and that the organization had “bigger issues” with Mr. Shapiro’s support for school vouchers.

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has long clashed with Mr. Shapiro, has also expressed displeasure at the prospect of the governor being elevated to a national ticket, according to two people who have spoken with him. One of his advisers called the Harris campaign to object to Mr.

Shapiro, a development that was first reported by Politico.