Who Will Be Kamala Harris' VP Pick?

Vice President Kamala Harris looks likely to be the 2024 Democratic nominee for president just three days after President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race. Despite rumors of a contested race, no major challengers have yet confronted Harris. Further, the Harris campaign now has an incredibly deep pocketbook; major Democratic lawmakers have endorsed her candidacy and over 3,000 delegates have already pledged themselves to Harris, well more than the 1,976 she needs to clinch the nomination. Her crowning could become official as early as the first week of August.

The question now is not who will replace Biden at the top of the ticket, but rather who will replace Harris in the number two position?

Many names are floating in the ether, and there have been conflicting reports about who is being vetted for the job. Harris is likely to choose a running mate who will complement her as a former senator from California who would be the first black female and Asian American president.

Among those at the top of the list are North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, all of whom have been asked to submit information about their finances, family histories, and other personal details, according to CNN. The shortlist may also include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, among others.

Atop the list, unsurprisingly, are elected officials in battleground states – people who could theoretically deliver Harris race-defining electoral wins. As governor of North Carolina, Cooper is one of those people. Notably, Cooper has won five statewide campaigns in years that Republicans have carried North Carolina at the national level. North Carolina was the only one of seven battleground states that Trump won in 2020, and Cooper could theoretically turn things around for the Democrats this time.

Shapiro, too, could help land Democrats Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes. Trump currently leads Harris by four points in Pennsylvania, according to the RCP Average. Impressively, Shapiro won this purple state in the 2022 campaign by nearly 15 points by making an appeal to rural voters.  A poll earlier this year showed that more than three in 10 Pennsylvania Trump supporters also supported Shapiro. A recent poll by FiveThirtyEight also showed him leading Trump if he were the Democratic presidential nominee – the only person on this list who could lay claim to such a feat. 

Kelly is another option, hailing from the swing state of Arizona, which Democrats have only won three times since 1948. Kelly stands out among the other options for his tough stance on border security, which is currently a major issue for voters. He is also a gun owner and proud supporter of the Second Amendment, meaning Kelly could help balance the ticket culturally. A safe choice, Kelly is among the most unknown of the options.

A lot of people are throwing around the name Beshear, too. He was elected as the governor of a firmly red state over a capable opponent by five points when just three years prior, Trump carried Kentucky by 25 points. At 46, Beshear is among the youngest on the shortlist, rivaling Trump’s 39-year-old choice for a running mate in J.D. Vance. Beshear is also a practicing and proud Christian, something which might appeal to more conservative voters.

Pritzker is another option, heir to the Hyatt hotel chain and effective liberal policy passer. Hailing from the deeply blue state of Illinois, Pritzker has passed extensive gun control legislation, legalized recreational marijuana, raised the minimum wage, prohibited book bans, and increased demand for abortion care. Pritzker is the only name on the list who does not have obvious crossover appeal, thus making him a relatively unlikely candidate.

Other names to watch include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a rising star who has comfortably won multiple races in a swing state. Whitmer is an unlikely candidate because a ticket with two women would be quite the risk to run for Democrats. There is also Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay man to earn primary delegates for a major party’s presidential nomination. His sexuality might be a barrier when combined with Harris’ race and ethnicity. Lastly, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is a well-known figure who has done effective campaigning for the Democratic party over the past year, and is a popular figure on the left. Yet Newsom is from the same district as Harris, making their teaming up improbable.

With the Democratic National Convention less than a month away and the election a little over three months out, Harris is likely to announce her choice soon, so the Democrats might finally start their campaign.