Vice President Kamala Harris drew closer to picking her running mate over the weekend, interviewing the remaining contenders while voices from within the party lobbied for their preferred candidates. The final choice remained with Harris, but three names continued to figure prominently: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Of the three, Shapiro has received the most attention on Sunday television. He presides over a battleground and defeated a Trump-endorsed opponent to get there. Kelly defended his Senate seat in Arizona in 2022 against a well-funded Trump-endorsed challenger. And Walz bring rust-belt appeal to an election that may be decided by voters in that swing region.

Earlier in the week, Harris secured enough delegates in a virtual vote to formally win the Democratic nomination. Whoever she picks is all-but-sure to receive the same approval before the two head on a campaign stretch leading up to the Democratic National Convention which starts on Aug. 19.

Officials in Florida advised residents of the Nature Coast and Big Bend areas to prepare for Tropical Storm Debby as it approached the areas and was expected to develop into a hurricane before making a landfall. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that Debby’s track and expected landing area were similar to what Floridians saw with Hurricane Idalia nearly a year ago. However, he said that the impact will be different.

“Idalia was close to a Category Four hurricane,” DeSantis said. “It had strong winds that ripped through the Big Bend area, caused a lot of damage, [and] a lot of debris.

The outer bands of Debby have impacted the west coast of the Florida peninsula throughout Aug. 4 as it makes its way to the panhandle. Several feet of storm surge, several inches of rain, and instances of active or minor flooding have been observed from as far south as Naples through Cedar Key and the Nature Coast.

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