CNN anchor Kate Bolduan asked Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday if she is bothered by all of her party’s vice presidential contenders being “white men.”

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to pick her running mate no later than Tuesday, with the top contenders including Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Bolduan pondered whether Hochul is unhappy with the gender of all the known contenders.

“One thing that is noteworthy that cannot be missed in when we put up the screen of the shortlist, if you will, all of them, most of them, all of them are white men, most of them are Democratic governors. You are a very prominent, very well known and respected Democratic governor yourself. Does it bother you that they’re all white men?” Bolduan asked.

“No, no, not at all,” Hochul replied. “Because, I don’t want to look at gender here. I really don’t think it’s fair because we have a lot of talented women governors, I text them all the time. The men are very talented, so that’s the beauty of what we have here is that we have a lot of talent. So I’m not gonna take offense that she doesn’t pick a woman or person from some particular state at all. Whoever she picks, it’s gonna be a dynamic duo, no doubt about it.”

CNN Host Asks Kathy Hochul Point-Blank If She Is Bothered By All VP Contenders Being ‘White Men’ pic.twitter.com/iOplpV80eM

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 31, 2024

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s name circulated as a possible choice to run alongside Harris, though many Democrats and strategists worried a ticket with two women would hurt the party, according to Politico. Whitmer vowed on Monday to remain in Michigan as governor rather than become a vice presidential contender.

Hochul also repeated the political left’s latest line of attack about Republican nominee Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance being “weird,” and insisted the Democratic ticket would bring “happiness” and normalcy. The New York governor pointed specifically to Vance’s scrutinized remark about “childless cat ladies” during a 2021 appearance on Fox News’ former program, “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

“I mean, we’ve never seen anything of their likes in American history, especially J.D Vance. I mean, who talks about childless cat ladies? I mean is there any other way to describe that other than weird? So, I’m just calling out the way I see it. And I think my friend Tim Walz of Minnesota started it, and Tim and I were good friends in Congress together and it’s good enough for Tim. I said, you know what, he’s right about that. They’re weird,” Hochul said.

Vance said his three-year-old remark has been twisted by the political left, who he accused of pushing anti-family values during an appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show” on July 26.

CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten said on Tuesday that Shapiro is the strongest contender to carry support in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state. Shapiro won his 2022 midterm run against Republican candidate Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania, securing 56.5% of the vote, according to Politico.

Featured Image Credit: Screenshot/Grabien/CNN