In excerpts from 107 Days published by The Atlantic, Harris wrote that Buttigieg was her “first choice” but acknowledged she believed his being gay posed a political risk. She added, “But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Buttigieg, now serving as Secretary of Transportation, told Politico on September 18 that he was “surprised” by Harris’s account. “You just have to go to voters with what you think you can do for them,” he said. “No, that’s not what I said—that he couldn’t be on the ticket because he is gay,” Harris said.