Politico accidentally reports Biden chose Harris as running mate: ‘We regret the error and any confusion’

Politico issued an apology for reporting that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden had chosen Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to be his running mate, with the publication saying it regretted “the error and any confusion that it caused.”

“Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris to become his running mate for the 2020 election on Aug. 1, two weeks before the Democratic National Convention, after keeping his choice close to the chest for months,” Politico wrote in the now-deleted report.

“In his announcement, Biden called Harris ‘a worthy opponent and a worthy running mate,’ alluding to the pair’s rivalry during the earlier stages of the Democratic primary. She will bring her experience as a prosecutor, household name recognition, and skill as a debater to the ticket,” the news outlet added.

The report was deleted after being flagged on Tuesday by Mark Bednar, who serves as spokesman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Huh?

Politico labeled Sen. Kamala Harris as Biden’s running mate… that he chose on August 1 (4 days from now).https://t.co/M3dhmIwZ7o pic.twitter.com/99GDHzWPnL

— Mark Bednar (@MarkBednar) July 28, 2020

“For a brief period yesterday afternoon, placeholder text was mistakenly published to the site,” Brad Dayspring, Politico’s vice president of marketing and communications, told The Hill. “Our standard practice is to use ‘lorem ipsum’ as placeholder text. In this instance, that did not happen. We regret the error and any confusion that it caused.”

Biden’s running mate is expected to be announced next week ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which is slated to begin Aug. 17.

Harris is considered to be near the top of Biden’s shortlist, along with Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice.

–This report was updated on July 30 at 5:42 a.m.