Vice President Harris and her campaign team are Considering a number of potential candidates while the Democrats move into general election mode with Harris at the helm.
Although Harris has succeeded in massively inspiring the Democratic base and narrowing the gap to Trump in the three days since President Biden dropped out of the race, she will have to find a running mate to complement her on her party’s electoral list.
Harris has a long list of national Democrats to choose from and has sent vetting materials to a number of Democratic governors, a senator and two Biden administration officials.
The Democratic National Committee expects Harris to nominate a vice presidential candidate by August 7.
Here are the pros and cons of Harris’ potential vice presidential running mate:
Andy Beshear
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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is something of a political unicorn, winning election and re-election in a deep-red state. Beshear’s statewide victories underscore his ability to appeal to voters outside the Democratic electorate, particularly in rural areas.
“The idea of him winning such a Republican state so easily, I think, also gives Democrats a lot of comfort when they talk about winning the suburbs. [and] “We’re trying to bring some of the white working class back to our side,” said Democratic strategist Jon Reinish.
And while Beshear has clearly succeeded in appealing to moderate voters and even some conservatives, the governor has implemented a number of policies that are popular with Democrats. He has expanded health care in the state and won praise from activists for restoring the right to vote to 180,000 people who had been convicted of felony crimes.
Disadvantages
But strategists say Beshear still has a lot of work to do to make a name for himself nationally. In addition, some point out that while his connection to his father, former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D), would have given him an advantage in Kentucky, it might not have the same impact nationally.
“You already have to reintroduce Kamala and now you have to introduce someone no one has ever heard of,” said one Democratic strategist.
Roy Cooper
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North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s (D) close relationship with Harris contributed to speculation that he was being considered as her running mate, as both Democrats served as attorneys general in their respective states around the same time.
“From what I understand, Harris and Cooper are very close,” said Mike Nellis, a former senior adviser to Harris. “From what I understand, she really likes him.”
Cooper could aid Harris underscore the contrast with Trump she is trying to create by drawing on her past as a prosecutor who went up against a former president convicted of stern crimes.
Cooper has also had success as a Democrat in a state that is considered conservative. But as governor, he has passed laws popular with the political left, including expanding Medicaid and repealing HB 2, better known as the “Bathroom Bill,” which required people in state facilities to apply bathrooms that match their sex assigned at birth.
Disadvantages
However, if Cooper were to leave the state to campaign across the country, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson (R) would become acting governor under the North Carolina Constitution. Some Democrats say this concerns them, given Robinson’s ultra-conservative record running for governor.
“I’m sure they’re considering this carefully,” Reinish said.
Mark Kelly
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Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona has quickly become one of the top contenders for Harris’ running mate, with Democrats pointing to his impressive career as an astronaut and Navy pilot. Kelly is also married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot at a constituent event in 2011. Kelly and Giffords have since been vocal advocates of gun control, an issue that has galvanized key constituencies.
Democrats also point to Kelly’s electoral success in Arizona, where she won statewide elections in 2020 and 2022; the Grand Canyon State is likely to be a decisive state in November. Harris’ campaign team has said it wants to focus on Sun Belt states like Arizona in addition to the Blue Wall states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
“There’s a lot of good evidence that Harris’ best path to victory is not through the Midwest, but through the Sun Belt,” Nellis said. “I think Kelly plays pretty well there.”
Kelly’s supporters point out that he could provide a mighty defense against Republican attacks on Harris and Democrats over their handling of the southern border. While critics point to Harris’ weakness on the issue, Kelly has long called for more resources to be sent to Arizona to handle the influx of migrants crossing the border.
Disadvantages
But Kelly’s election also poses risks for Senate Democrats. If he were elected vice president, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) would have to appoint Kelly’s successor, who would have to run in a special election to serve out the remainder of Kelly’s term, which Kelly did in 2020. That would mean Arizona would have Senate elections every even year until 2030.
Kelly could also run into trouble with the labor movement, a key Democratic voting bloc. Kelly did not support the PRO Act, which would make it easier to form unions and sign collective bargaining agreements.
However, Kelly said Wednesday he would support the PRO Act if it came to a vote in the Senate today.
Josh Shapiro
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Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro rose to national prominence in 2022 when he won the governorship in an election year that had been predicted to see a nationwide red wave for Republicans.
The then-Attorney General of Pennsylvania defeated Republican Senator Doug Mastriano by nearly 15 points. Throughout his campaign, Shapiro not only sought to campaign in customary Democratic strongholds in Pennsylvania’s cities and suburbs, but also made an effort to appeal to the state’s rural communities.
“He beat the ultimate MAGA candidate,” Reinish said. “He knows what it takes to fight extremism. He knows what it takes to win over a lot of people and fight a MAGA extremist.”
The race was Shapiro’s third statewide appearance in the must-win presidential state, which has 20 Electoral College votes. Democrats and even some Republicans have praised Shapiro as politically savvy and charismatic. As governor, Shapiro has been forced to respond to a number of crises, including the train derailment in nearby East Palestine, Ohio; the I-95 bridge collapse; and most recently, the assassination attempt on former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Disadvantages
However, Shapiro is still relatively modern on the national stage, having only been governor for two years. Critics point out that Shapiro supported a GOP-led initiative to give families $100 million in school vouchers to pay for private school tuition, a position the governor later backed away from.
In addition, some doubt that Shapiro’s staunch support of Israel throughout the Israel-Hamas war could deter progressive voters, many of whom threatened to stay home when Biden was at the forefront of the candidacy due to the president’s pro-Israel stance.
Others say Shapiro, like Harris, would be a historic choice because if elected, he would be the first Jewish vice president.
“Precisely because the Jewish community has gone through such a terrible time since October 7, with rising anti-Semitism and extremism, the idea of having a Jew, one of us, at the top of the ballot would be an extraordinary milestone,” Reinish said.
