As Democrats wrestle for their preferred candidates, rumors and speculation surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris’s vice presidential candidacy are reaching a fever pitch.
While most conversations about the vice presidential candidates are dominated by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (Democrat), Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (Democrat), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (Democrat) and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (Democrat), other names are also emerging in the discussion. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (Democrat) is increasingly being talked about for the post, while allies of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg continue to push his name as he takes over the national media scene.
These efforts come as time is running out for Harris to select a vice presidential candidate. The Democratic National Committee said earlier this week that it hopes to make a decision by August 7.
Shapiro and Kelly have received a lot of media attention due to their robust positions on the electoral map. Arizona has a total of 11 electoral votes, while Pennsylvania has an impressive 19 electoral votes.
In addition, both states are located in critical regions of the map: Pennsylvania in the Rust Belt and Arizona in the Sun Belt.
“The general opinion is that you get someone who can help you at the regional level,” said Democratic strategist Basil Smikle, emphasizing Pennsylvania’s proximity to Michigan and Wisconsin.
Democrats say Arizona is harder to convince when it comes to regional math arguments. Democrats also predict that the gap between Arizona and other Sun Belt states will narrow, assuming Harris can make inroads with the region’s increasingly ethnically diverse population.
“I don’t know if Arizona has a regional advantage outside of the state itself,” Smikle said. “The general perception is that that might not be in Kelly’s favor.”
Not all Democrats and Republicans are convinced by the regional situation. Both point to the inability of former Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan to win his home state of Wisconsin in 2012.
However, Democrats and Republicans consider Shapiro and Kelly to be good candidates who could complement Harris.
An Emerson College/The Hill poll released Thursday found Shapiro has an approval rating of 49 percent and an disapproval rating of 31 percent. In addition, 22 percent of Republicans in Pennsylvania said they approved of Shapiro, while 46 percent of independents did. Shapiro has also won several statewide swing state elections and, like Harris, served as attorney general in his home state.
Kelly has also won multiple statewide elections in his battleground home state and has a compelling record as a former Navy pilot and astronaut. He also has a more conservative stance on the southern border, an issue that Republicans have already attacked Harris over.
But both men have their own critics on the political left. While Kelly said this week he would support the PRO Act, which would open the way for unions to form and collective bargaining, he has long opposed the legislation.
“The unions are going to be mad at Kelly, even if it’s happening behind the scenes,” a Democratic source said.
And although Shapiro backed away from an earlier decision to support a Republican-led initiative to provide $100 million in school vouchers to support pay for private school tuition, some Democrats still express concerns.
The bigger problem for Shapiro may be his pro-Israel stance, which many in the progressive wing of the party see as a deciding factor. Some far-left activists have even launched a campaign called “Genocide Josh” to undermine the governor’s chances of becoming vice president.
Other Democrats, however, oppose the action against Jewish Congressman Shapiro, calling it “anti-Semitic” and “counterproductive.”
“To call him right-wing on Israel issues, an Israel hawk, a Likud or Bibi supporter, is completely wrong,” said Jon Reinish, a Democratic strategist. “They are not using this moment to unite people, but rather they are digging in, dividing and holding out the knives for someone who could become the first Jewish vice president.”
Cooper and Beshear also remain in the conversation for the vice presidential nomination, with many of their supporters saying their status as governors of southern states could support Harris with moderate and some conservative voters.
While Beshear has notably emerged as Harris’ attack dog against Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, many Democrats feel his arguments have been unconvincing and that Kentucky, a deep-red state, ultimately does not add much to Harris’ efforts.
“He’s a great governor, I don’t want to take anything away from him. He’s a boring piece of dry toast,” said one Democratic strategist. “And when you look at some of his best sayings that people hype up, I think they’re a lot more interesting when you read them than when you say them.”
Cooper, on the other hand, could lend Harris a helping hand in North Carolina, where a real opportunity for the Democrats has emerged.
“North Carolina is a microcosm of the nation,” said Jess Jollet, executive director of Progress North Carolina, citing his successful electoral and political record in the state.
“If Americans met Cooper, they would fall in love with him just like the people of North Carolina do,” she added.
Democrats also see an advantage in Cooper’s 67-year-old age, pointing out that he could create a generational conflict even though he is still younger than Biden and Trump.
Minnesota’s 60-year-old governor, Tim Walz (Democrat), also weighed in on the broader vice presidential debate this week. Democrats praised his affable personality, union recognition and nationwide experience as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.
“I think Walz has a compelling case,” the Democratic source said.
March For Our Lives co-founder and Gen-Z activist David Hogg has been among the governor’s most vocal supporters and helped set up a Walz War Room account on Twitter.
Walz’s supporters have published an interview he conducted this week with MSNBC’s Jen Psaki in which he referred to the party’s Republican opponents as the “weird people on the other side.”
“They want to take your books away. They want to be in your exam room. That’s what it comes down to,” Walz said, making Psaki laugh.
Buttigieg is also making the rounds in national media, recently appearing on MSNBC, CNN and Fox News.
Keith Edwards, a digital strategist for the Democrats, noted that online interest in the former mayor, who was first a presidential candidate and later secretary of transportation, has skyrocketed in recent days.
“The Pete Buttigieg stuff I post online sells way better than anything else,” Edwards said.
Edwards’ recent videos of Buttigieg on his YouTube page have garnered 25,000 views and 413,000 views, respectively, since Friday.
“There’s real energy behind him. I don’t know if that has an impact on who the vice president picks, but I think it’s significant,” Edwards said.
While many Democrats have already decided on the position of a possible vice presidential candidate, many believe that ultimately you can’t go wrong with Harris.
“Any of those people would be a great teammate for her,” Reinish said. “The campaign just has to decide who has the best chemistry with her, shares the same policies, communicates the partnership and the platform well, but also whether that’s going to be a states-based decision or a sentiment decision.”
