Boosted by Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race on Sunday and endorsements from other prominent party leaders, Vice President Kamala Harris has quickly emerged as the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
However, the question is, who will be his partner?
Choosing one of these is a delicate matter, requiring consideration of many factors, whether it is winning key states, getting votes in rural areas, appealing to liberals or considering different demographics.
The selection process, which usually lasts several months, will move at a rapid pace this time so that the ticket can be finalised at the Democratic National Convention, which begins on August 19 in Chicago.
– Josh Shapiro –
One of the top potential choices is Josh Shapiro, the 51-year-old governor of Pennsylvania.
Putting him on the ticket would create a strong position for his state’s crucial electoral college votes, as Pennsylvania is one of the most important swing states in this election.
Shapiro, an effective speaker and outspoken political centrist, was elected governor in 2022 when he faced off against a far-right candidate backed by Donald Trump.
Shapiro previously served as Pennsylvania’s attorney general, a position in which he condemned sexual abuse by Catholic priests against thousands of children and sued Purdue Laboratories, the maker of the highly addictive opioid OxyContin.
– Mark Kelly –
Mark Kelly, a 60-year-old former astronaut and US Navy captain, has been a senator from Arizona since 2020.
He represents another swing state where Biden narrowly won over Trump in 2020; the margin between them was the narrowest anywhere in the country.
Kelly’s Senate campaign was particularly notable for his efforts to promote gun control. His wife, former Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, nearly died in 2011 when she was shot in the head at close range while meeting with voters in Tucson.
– Andy Beshear –
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, 46, won re-election last November by campaigning on abortion rights against a Trump-backed candidate.
Beshear could bring votes from his state, located on the edge of the Rust Belt — a large part of the United States that has seen steel and other industries decline — which could tip the balance with Harris’ home state, prosperous California.
When asked on MSNBC Monday morning about the possibility of him being considered for the vice presidential spot, Beshear said simply: “If somebody calls you about it, you at least listen to them.”
Beshear also took aim at Trump’s vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, who is a senator-elect from neighboring Ohio but whose grandparents are from Kentucky.
– Roy Cooper –
Roy Cooper, the 67-year-old governor of North Carolina, is another leader from a mixed, so-called purple state that Trump won by just one percentage point in 2020.
Cooper was first elected in 1986 and has never lost an election since. As a moderate Democrat, electing him could sway centrist voters to the left.
One of their key issues is protecting abortion rights, a major issue in this election, which comes two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade (the 1973 decision that guaranteed federal abortion protections).
Cooper was interviewed on MSNBC on Monday morning, where he declined to comment on Harris’s potential to become his vice presidential nominee, instead calling on people to focus on who they strongly support.
– Other possibilities –
Others being mentioned as potential vice presidential candidates include Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, is also on the list, as is Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, the state’s first black senator.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
