Who’s the Kamala Harris VP Pick? Odds for Every Shortlist Candidate.
Pete Buttigieg? Mark Kelly? One of the inoffensive swing state governors? Here are the pros and cons of everyone on Harris’s running mate shortlist.
Just when you thought the veepstakes was over, it comes roaring back to life. Six days after Donald Trump revealed that J.D. Vance is his pick for vice president, Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race. Biden backed Kamala Harris as his replacement, and the vice president quickly racked up endorsements, leaving little doubt that she will be officially selected as the nominee at the Democratic National Convention in August.
But who will be Harris’s VP pick? That’s a wide open question. Here’s a list (which we’ll keep updated) of who is believed to be on Harris’s running mate shortlist, and the pros and cons of each possibility, loosely arranged from the candidates with the best odds to the worst.
Mark Kelly
PROS: Mark Kelly is a Navy veteran and former astronaut from the swing state of Arizona. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in a 2020 special election, and he was reelected to a full term in 2022. He has a higher profile than some other VP candidates, as he became a gun control advocate along with his wife, former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, after she survived an assassination attempt in 2011. In his last election, Kelly won 58 percent of Latino voters, a key demographic in the upcoming election. As a Democrat from a border state Kelly could help defend Harris from GOP attacks on immigration issues.
CONS: Kelly’s selection would create some Senate election drama. Governor Katie Hobbs would certainly appoint a Democrat to replace him, but that person would have to run in 2026 and again for a full term in 2028.
KELLY’S STANCE: In his X post endorsing Harris he said, “Gabby and I will do everything we can to elect her President of the United States.” He has not commented publicly on the possibility of being her running mate.
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s video of Kelly blasting his Republican colleagues on the Senate floor for killing a bipartisan border deal:
Senator Mark Kelly slammed Republicans colleagues for killing bipartisan border deal, calling it a "shameful" week for the Senate. pic.twitter.com/gcaBETGVi9
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 9, 2024
Andy Beshear
PROS: Andy Beshear is a two-term Democratic governor from the very red state of Kentucky. The former state attorney general’s election to the governorship in 2019 was seen as a possible fluke, until last year when he beat his Trump-backed challenger by 5 percentage points. Beshear accomplished this partly by focusing on state issues, but he also championed abortion rights, a key issue for Democrats in 2024. As a moderate who has worked with Republicans and often talks about his Christian faith he could be appealing to swing voters.
CONS: At 46, Beshear is one of the youngest governors in the nation. That could be a positive in an election focused on the candidates’ ages, but it could also underscore the governor’s lack of experience on the national stage. While Kentuckians embraced Beshear, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll deliver the ruby-red state for Democrats; Trump won Kentucky handily in 2016 and 2020. Beshear may not be much help to Democrats in the key states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin either.
BESHEAR’S STANCE: On the day after Biden dropped out, Beshear was asked if he’d consider being Harris’s VP on Morning Joe. “I think if somebody calls you on that, what you do is at least listen,” he said.
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s video of Beshear taking a shot at J.D. Vance on July 22:
"I think if somebody calls you on that, what you do is at least listen. And I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like. Because let me just tell you that JD Vance ain't from here."
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 22, 2024
— @GovAndyBeshear on the possibility of running for VP pic.twitter.com/M6MskbCixq
Roy Cooper
PROS: After serving as North Carolina attorney general for 16 years, Roy Cooper was elected governor in 2016 and reelected in 2020. Trump only narrowly won North Carolina in both of those elections, raising Democrats’ hopes that the state can be flipped in 2024. Cooper has been advocating for abortion rights, vetoing several anti-abortion bills in North Carolina.
CONS: At 67, the term-limited Cooper doesn’t draw as strong a contrast with the Republican ticket as some of the younger VP options.
COOPER’S STANCE: On the morning after Biden dropped out, Cooper was asked if he’d want to be Harris’s VP on Morning Joe. He said he appreciates people talking about him, but, “I think it’s really important that we do keep the focus on her this week. The vice presidential conversation needs to occur later. I want to make sure Kamala Harris wins.”
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Cooper introducing Harris during her campaign stop in Fayetteville on July 18, 2024:
Josh Shapiro
PROS: Josh Shapiro is the popular first-term governor of Pennsylvania, a state Democrats must win. He previously served as his state’s attorney general, like Harris, and drew national attention with an investigation into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and his successful effort to fight Trump’s bogus voter fraud claims in the 2020 election. In 2022, he defeated his Trump-backed challenger by 15 percentage points. He’s a moderate who has relatively high approval ratings among Republicans, and could potentially appeal to swing voters. He’d make history as the second Jewish running mate on a major party ticket, after Joe Lieberman.
CONS: The 51-year-old does not have much governing experience. Shapiro was a vocal defender of Israel after the October 7 attack by Hamas, which could alienate some progressives.
SHAPIRO’S STANCE: In his statement endorsing Harris he said, “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.” The governor has not commented on potentially being her running mate.
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Shapiro going after Trump back in 2022:
Shapiro: This guy loves to talk a big game about freedom, right? It is not freedom to tell women what they are allowed to do with their bodies. That is not freedom… pic.twitter.com/Xw5EYqVmT4
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 5, 2022
Pete Buttigieg
PROS: Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential run transformed him from the mayor of South Bend, Indiana to the most well-known politician on this list. “Mayor Pete,” a 42-year-old former Rhodes scholar and Navy veteran, won the 2020 Iowa caucuses and finished second in the New Hampshire primary before dropping out of the race and endorsing Biden. He joined the Biden administration as Transportation secretary, becoming the first openly gay Cabinet member. Buttigieg is raising twins with his husband Chasten in Michigan (conveniently, Chasten’s home state is also a major 2024 battleground). Buttigieg is well-spoken and has been one of the Biden campaign’s most visible surrogates.
CONS: Buttigieg struggled to attract Black voters in the 2020 election. He oversaw a number of transit crises during his time as secretary, with mixed reviews.
BUTTIGIEG’S STANCE: In his statement endorsing Harris he said, “I will do all that I can to help her win this election to lead America forward as our next president.” But he has not commented on being her running mate.
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s video of Buttigieg smoothly taking down J.D. Vance on Real Time with Bill Maher, days before Biden dropped out:
J. B. Pritzker
PROS: J. B. Pritzker is the popular second-term governor of Illinois. He has been an outspoken defender of abortion rights, and his non-profit group Think Big America has funded abortion rights efforts across the country. Pritzker has also been an active Biden campaign surrogate, and is know for aggressively attacking Trump. Perhaps most importantly, Pritzker is loaded: the Hyatt Hotel fortune heir has an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion. He has self-financed campaigns in the past and could potentially help ensure that money is not a problem for the Democratic ticket.
CONS: Illinois is a blue state so a Pritzker pick won’t really help Democrats in the Electoral College. He’s not very well-known nationally and putting the richest U.S. politician on the ticket may not go over well with some voters.
PRITZKER’S STANCE: He endorsed Harris, saying, “She represents our Party’s best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November, and I will work my heart out to help her do that.” He has yet to comment on potentially being her VP.
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Pritzker telling everyone what he really thinks about Trump:
Donald Trump is a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist, and a congenital liar. He’s a racist, sexist, misogynistic narcissist who wants to use the levers of power to enrich himself and punish anyone who dares speak a word against him. pic.twitter.com/bh7ryymsf1
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) June 9, 2024
Wes Moore
PROS: Wes Moore has been seen as a rising star in the Democratic party since he was elected governor of Maryland in 2022, becoming just the third Black person ever elected governor in the U.S. The 45-year-old is a former Rhodes scholar, an Army combat veteran, and former CEO of Robin Hood foundation, an anti-poverty non-profit.
CONS: While Moore drew some national attention for his handling of the recent Baltimore bridge collapse, he is a far less experienced politician than some other potential VPs.
MOORE’S STANCE: Moore endorsed Harris, saying, “She is the fighter we need at this moment to realize the full promise of our nation.” He has not commented on the possibility of being Harris’s running mate.
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s a clip from Moore’s 2022 victory speech:
You believed in the son of an immigrant.
— Gov. Wes Moore (@iamwesmoore) November 13, 2022
A graduate of a two-year college.
A U.S. Army combat veteran.
And a nonprofit leader who had never run for office before.
It’s because you believed that I stand here humbled and ready to become the 63rd governor of Maryland. pic.twitter.com/RtX7mpKP1P
Gretchen Whitmer
PROS: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is the popular, two-term governor of a battleground state. The 52-year-old has widely been considered a future presidential contender since she won reelection in 2022 by nearly 11 percentage points. She had been co-chair of the Biden campaign, and will stay on now that Harris is leading the ticket.
CONS: Running the first all-female presidential ticket is a risky move for Democrats.
WHITMER’S STANCE: She has “communicated to senior party leaders” that he is not interested in serving as Harris’s VP, according to The Hill. Her public response to the question on July 22 seemed to back that up. “I am not leaving Michigan,” she said. “I am proud to be the governor of Michigan. I have been consistent. I know everyone is always suspicious and asking this question over and over again … I am not going anywhere.”
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Whitmer explaining why she’s “fired up” about Harris on July 22:
Today, not only am I fired up to endorse @KamalaHarris for President of the United States, I’m proud to serve as a co-chair of her campaign.
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) July 22, 2024
In Vice President Harris, Michigan voters have a candidate they can count on to lower their costs, protect their freedoms, and build an… pic.twitter.com/f57SCl6itj
Gavin Newsom
PROS: California Governor Gavin Newsom clearly has his eye on the White House. In recent years he has built a name for himself nationally, often taking on Trump and red-state governors like Ron DeSantis, who he debated last year.
CONS: Though Newsom keeps being floated as a potential Harris running mate, it’s highly unlikely that she’d pick him. Putting two Californians on the Democratic ticket would create a constitutional issue under the 12th Amendment, just as it would have for fellow Floridians Trump and Marco Rubio. Also, putting the former mayor of liberal San Francisco on the ticket would be a gift to Republicans.
NEWSOM’S STANCE: Like Whitmer, he has “communicated to senior party leaders” that he is not interested in serving as Harris’s VP, according to The Hill.
AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Newsom calling out Trump’s corruption, while saying he’d still work with him on policy matters, after the first 2024 presidential debate:
Gavin Newsom on CNN on Trump: "He's making deals for a billion dollars on oil and gas -- 'and I'll take care of your regulations.' In public. This is corruption of the highest order." pic.twitter.com/IOOP6tv7bm
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 28, 2024