9 possible running mates Kamala Harris could pick
Here’s a snapshot of some of some potential running mates.
Several names — (clockwise from top left) including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — have been floated to be Kamala Harris' pick for vice president. |
Nic Antaya/Getty Images; Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative; Justin Berl/Getty Images
The race to be Kamala Harris’ running mate has already started.
Moments after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential contest and endorsed his vice president on Sunday, speculation began swirling over who would be Kamala Harris’ running mate. Some Democrats started floating their preferred picks. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, for instance, “would be an excellent choice” to share the ticket, said Philadelphia Democratic Party chair and former Rep. Bob Brady.
Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina are both being considered as running mates, according to a person familiar with the conversations. And a Democratic strategist close to the White House said that Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is also under consideration. The people were granted anonymity to speak freely about the new political dynamic.
“The question is: who can beat Trump in their home state?” said the Democratic strategist close to the White House.
The strategist noted that Kelly, who easily won his reelection in a state Biden carried four years ago, is being eyed for his unique biography, having flown combat missions in the Navy and commanded the International Space Station as an astronaut. His wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, has become a hero to grassroots Democratic organizations fighting gun violence after she was a victim of it at a campaign rally for her reelection. The attack left her severely injured.
“The good thing is she’s got a lot of unbelievable options,” the strategist said of Harris.
A number of names have been floated and all of them spoke out in support of Biden’s decision to step down — and even some are already voicing support of Harris as the nominee.
Here’s a snapshot of potential vice presidential candidates and what they said after Biden’s historic decision on Sunday.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro vowed to support Harris as the nominee on Sunday and called for members of his party to unite behind her. | Matt Freed/AP
Shapiro, 51, has served as governor since 2023 and prior to that, he was Pennsylvania’s attorney general since 2017, county commissioner and state representative. If Harris were to pick Shapiro, it could bring in some extra votes from a swing state that Democrats desperately need to hold if they want to hold onto the White House.
“President Biden is a patriot who has served our country honorably in the Senate, as Vice President, and as one of the most consequential presidents in modern history,” Shapiro said on X.
Shapiro also vowed to support Harris as the nominee on Sunday and called for members of his party to unite behind her.
“I’ve known Kamala Harris for nearly two decades — we’ve both been prosecutors, we’ve both stood up for the rule of law, we’ve both fought for the people and delivered results,” he said in a statement on X. “Kamala Harris is a patriot worthy of our support.”
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly has more authority to speak on migration issues — a big plus as Republicans attack Harris over the border. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Kelly, 60, has served as a senator since 2020 and prior to that was a NASA astronaut and a Navy combat pilot. He’s married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords and represents a key battleground state. When he beat incumbent Republican Martha McSally four years ago in a special election for former Sen. John McCain’s seat, he became the first Democrat to hold the seat since 1962. He won reelection two years later easily.
As a border state Democrat, he has more authority to speak on migration issues — a big plus as Republicans
attack Harris over the border.
“I couldn’t be more confident that Vice President @KamalaHarris is the right person to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country into the future,” Kelly said on X. “She has my support for the nomination, and Gabby and I will do everything we can to elect her President of the United States.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was a key part of Biden’s pathway to the presidency in 2020. | Alex Brandon/AP
Whitmer, 52, has served as governor since 2019. Prior to that, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives and in the Michigan Senate. She’s been considered a potential 2028 successor since she won the gubernatorial race in 2022 by nearly 11 points in a battleground state.
Michigan was a key part of Biden’s pathway to the presidency in 2020, after former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton narrowly lost the state in 2016. She also
reportedly threw her support behind Harris Sunday.
“President Biden is a great public servant who knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on X. “My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families’ costs, banning abortion nationwide, and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has moderate bonafides and comes from Kentucky political royalty. | Timothy D. Easley/AP
Beshear, 46, was elected governor in 2019 and recently won reelection in November in a five-point victory, a significant win for Democrats in a deeply red state. Beshear was also elected the state’s attorney general in 2015.
Beshear, who has moderate bonafides, also comes from Kentucky political royalty. His father, Steve Beshear, also beat the odds as a Democrat in the overwhelmingly red state when he won the governorship in 2007 and 2011.
“While his decision today could not have been easy, it is in the best interest of our country, and our party. I want to thank him for his leadership, kindness, and for a successful presidency that got big, important things done,” Beshear said on X.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper
Rep. Jim Clyburn has floated North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s name among the next generation of Democratic leaders. | Hannah Schoenbaum/AP Photo
Cooper, 67, has served as North Carolina’s governor since 2017 and is prevented from running again due to term limits. Prior to that he served as the state’s attorney general for 16 years and served in North Carolina’s Senate and House. Rep. Jim Clyburn has floated Cooper’s name among the next generation of Democratic leaders.
Clyburn told POLITICO, “He is a guy that I would keep my eyes on, if I were you guys in the media.”
After Trump won North Carolina in 2020 by less than two percentage points, the Biden campaign has
moved to target North Carolina with the hopes that it could become a swing state once again.
“President Biden has cemented his place among our nation’s finest Presidents,” Cooper said on X. “When our democracy faced danger, President Biden stood strong as the rarest type of leader who could help us forge ahead with a vision to repair our country’s soul.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is often discussed as a potential presidential candidate. | Steven Senne/AP
Newsom, 56, was a prominent surrogate for Biden and has been governor since 2019. Prior to that, he served as San Francisco’s mayor and then the lieutenant governor of California.
Newsom is often discussed as a potential presidential candidate but would face a huge hurdle serving as Harris’ running mate for one simple reason: They both hail from California. Under the 12th Amendment, Electoral College members vote for the president and vice president but one of them “shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.” So that means if Harris picked Newsom as a running mate, they would forgo all of California’s 54 Electoral College votes.
“President Biden has been an extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans,” Newsom said on X. “He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.”
Newsom has already endorsed Harris, writing on X that “no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker did not endorse Harris and instead zeroed in on Donald Trump. | Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP
Pritzker, 59, is seen as a possible presidential candidate in part for his standing in the party and his ability to self-fund a campaign. His family started the Hyatt hotel empire. He’s in his second term as governor and before that was active in Democratic fundraising circles.
Pritzker has been a pit bull in attacking Trump, a practice that started during his first term as governor trying to get the former president to act quicker on delivering personal protective equipment during the pandemic.
In his statement about Biden’s exit, Pritzker did not endorse Harris and instead zeroed in on Trump, saying, “Donald Trump is a 34 time convicted felon, adjudicated to have committed sexual assault, a racist, homophobe and misogynist. Trump brags about taking away a woman’s right to choose, wants to rip healthcare away from tens of millions of people, proposes economic policies that will cost the middle class thousands of dollars a year, and threatens the fundamental American ideals we hold dear.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is widely seen as a possible candidate for the White House in the future. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Moore, 45, became Maryland’s first Black governor in 2023 and is widely seen as a possible candidate for the White House in the future. The young governor, just 45, also has an impressive resume as a New York Times bestselling author, Rhodes Scholar, combat veteran, and former CEO of the Robin Hood foundation, an anti-poverty organization.
“President Biden has dedicated his life and career to serving the American people,” Moore said in a post on X. “His legacy of hard work, dedication, optimism, and strength have shaped the trajectory of our nation — and made us better as a people and as a country.”
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has also formally endorsed Harris. | Stefan Jeremiah/AP
Another former contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, Pete Buttigieg has also formally endorsed Harris. He said in a statement on X that Harris was “the right person to take up the torch, defeat Donald Trump, and succeed Joe Biden as President.”
Buttigieg, 42, the Secretary of Transportation, was known among his supporters as “Mayor Pete” as the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He is also the first openly gay person confirmed to the presidential Cabinet. Buttigieg is also a Rhodes Scholar and served in Afghanistan.
