After President Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris following his announcement that he will not continue his run for reelection, the vice president emerged as the clear frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Should she wrap up the nomination soon, as seems likely, she will need to pick a running mate, and several Democrats have emerged as contenders.
Red state and swing state officials
Harris’ path to victory in November’s election would rely on winning several swing states while also drumming up enthusiasm from Democrats so that they donate in large amounts and have high turnout. In order to do the former, Harris may choose to tap a governor from one of the “purple” states where the race against Trump will be close. Some top candidates include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper or Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. She could also choose Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat who won office in a deeply red state. Or Harris could choose a former Senate colleague like Mark Kelly of Arizona or Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
Choosing an elected official from a Republican-leaning state has its own drawbacks, however. If one of these officials leaves their office to be vice president, their seats may fall to Republicans. For example, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp would almost certainly choose a Republican to replace Warnock. Furthermore, for deep red states like Kentucky, having a locally popular Democrat on the ticket may not be enough to win over that state.
Rising Democratic stars
While Harris could employ a swing state strategy to name her VP pick, she might instead want to choose a Democrat from a solidly blue state in order to tap into one of the party’s rising stars. One of the biggest names floated has been California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was seen as a potential rival for the presidential nomination before he instead endorsed Harris. Whether or not having another Californian would help in terms of winning swing voters, Newsom is one of the highest-profile Democrats in the party and could add additional name recognition to the ticket.
Another rising Democratic star, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, could also inject more energy into an already revved-up campaign. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has also been mentioned as a possibility. All three governors have already endorsed Harris, as has Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who had also been raised as a possible VP pick before she declared that she did not want to leave her current job.
In short, Harris has a large pool of potential running mates from which to choose. Her choice could both boost her own campaign and raise the profile of one of the up-and-coming big names in the Democratic Party.
