LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada's Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) says she was among the small group of people who helped interview candidates for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' running mate.
In a local exclusive interview with Good Morning Las Vegas anchor Justin Hinton, Cortez Masto shared an inside look at the vetting process that ended with Harris choosing Minnesota's Democratic governor, Tim Walz.
She says she was one of four individuals who participated in interviews with the candidates on Friday, Aug. 1.
"It was well-organized for the short time they had to put it together," said Cortez Masto. "I was very honored. I was on the West Coast, so I did most of mine from Zoom."
Here, she explains how the process worked:
The next day, she said the group met with the vice president to discuss their thoughts on the candidates, including their strengths and the challenges the ticket could face if paired with a given candidate.
JUSTIN HINTON: Was Tim Walz your no. 1 pick?
CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO: The decision was Kamala's pick.
HINTON: I get that.
CORTEZ MASTO: Absolutely, so I will tell you, again it goes back to every single one of them are leaders in their own right, and it really wasn't our decision, the vetting...
HINTON: But you can have a favorite.
CORTEZ MASTO: They are all my favorite, being very diplomatic. They're all my favorite and very excited to be a part of that rally on Saturday to see Gov. Walz now a part of that ticket.
The other candidates largely considered the frontrunners were Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly from Arizona.
WATCH: Sen. Cortez Masto explains her thoughts on the candidates she helped vet
HINTON: Was [Sen. Kelly] someone that stood out to you?
CORTEZ MASTO: They all did, but of course, Mark Kelly, I think so highly of. He's my colleague in the senate. He's from a western state. We've worked on water issues together, land issues. He knows it very well, but people also forget Kamala Harris knows western states very well. She knows Nevada very well because of the work that she did and I did with her as AG, and knows all the issues. So again, every single person on that ticket had incredible strengths and it really was, I think, from what I'm hearing from the vice president, about the chemistry.
Cortez Masto also discussed why Harris asked her to be part of the vetting committee in the first place. Watch that clip here:
There have also been reports of Sen. Cortez Masto serving as attorney general if Vice President Harris were to be elected president. Here's what she had to say about that:
HINTON: You mentioned your prosecutorial background. There have been some rumors out there that you could potentially be an AG in this cabinet. Is that something you'd...
CORTEZ MASTO: That's the first rumor I've heard.
HINTON: You haven't heard that?
CORTEZ MASTO: No, I have not, but I'll tell you what, I am so honored to be here in Nevada and representing my great state always, and I have committed to folks who reelected me just recently to be their U.S. senator, and that's what I'm going to continue to do.
