Opinion: Mark Kelly: Spaceman, Hero—and Kamala Harris’ Best Choice for VP

In less than 24 hours, Democrats went from feeling hopeless to experiencing a renewed sense of hope as money poured in from grassroots donors, party leaders cheered Kamala Harris and a short list of veep candidates emerged to join a newly energized ticket.

The leading contenders are notably all white men reflecting a move to moderate the ticket knowing candidate Trump will cast Harris as a radical leftist with a crazy laugh. Three governors—Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Andy Beshear of Kentucky—and one senator, Mark Kelly of Arizona—top the list. Beshear and Cooper even appeared on Morning Joe fresh and early on Monday morning to audition.

Each is a proven leader with credentials he is ready to serve. Each would have to defend and commend the choice of Harris to lead the country, and each would be the point of the spear in rebutting whatever the Trump team throws at Harris.

“She has one mission and that’s just to win,” says a Democrat who worked for Biden.

It’s early going in the process, but Kelly is emerging as the one who checks most of the boxes. “He’s so down to earth for someone who’s been vetted four times to go into space,” says a Kelly booster, noting that, “He’s not an electric campaigner, but he’s what she needs—a very stable, grounded guy with a lot of experience, a hero too.” His website states: “As a Navy pilot, he made multiple deployments on the aircraft carrier USS Midway and flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm .”

Arizona has a Democratic governor, so Kelly’s Senate seat is not at risk. Should he head to the White House, the governor would appoint his successor.

Kelly is smart and cool in debate, and he’s tough on border issues, which could help blunt attacks on Harris as Biden’s “border czar” who is complicit in the passage of illegal aliens entering the country.

Kelly is also married to Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head in 2011 in an assassination attempt and mass shooting while a member of Congress. After an arduous recovery, she founded a gun safety group that bears her name. Her presence on the national stage alongside her husband would amplify an important issue for Democrats.

“She has one week to undo the image of her as a real left winger,” says one Democrat, echoing the party’s perennial tension between its far left and moderate wings. On immigration, he adds that she’s got to drive home her support for the Senate deal on border reforms that Trump had killed. She’s got to run like the prosecutor she was in California.

The other contenders line up well with Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro potentially able to carry his state, one of three must win states for Democrats to win the presidency. A first term governor, he has won plaudits for quickly building I-95 after a catastrophic fire. And he got national attention for honoring the heroic death of a volunteer firefighter at the Trump rally where Trump was spared. At 51, he has presidential ambitions of his own.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is a personal favorite of Harris, having served alongside him when they were both attorney generals and active nationally. Cooper has been a spokesman for the Biden-Harris campaign and would fill the role seamlessly. At 67, he would be more of an elder statesman teamed with Harris, much like Biden was when Barack Obama chose him.

Kentucky’s Andy Beshear rounds out the short list as having won reelection in the red state of Kentucky. He was in Washington DC last week for a meet and greet hosted by former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. At 46, he is the youngest of those being actively considered and would line up well in a debate against J.D. Vance.

Beshear wouldn’t bring Kentucky, a state that is ruby red, but for a party and a country calling for unity and generational change, he would fit that bill.

When it comes to vice presidents, the first rule is “Do No Harm,” and each of these contenders passes that test. With Harris vying to be the first woman of color elected president, and with clearly progressive credentials, the requirement that her running mate be a white male with moderate credentials is paramount.

An ad the Trump PAC released on Sunday blaming Harris for concealing Biden’s frailty is just the beginning. It’s an early effort and it got mostly yawns. The election is not about Biden anymore. Trump is complaining he wasted all this time and money running against Biden, and now he must start all over again.

The rapid embrace of Harris by party leaders across the country, including those who are likely competitors, stems from the realization that Democrats cannot afford any more infighting. And it’s not just the leadership. A CNN poll released on Monday showed 76 percent of Democrats favoring Harris as their nominee.

They were on the road to certain defeat with President Biden leading the ticket. Now there is hope for victory if Harris can move quickly and secure a running mate that helps reassure voters there is a path ahead to win and defeat Trump.

Read more at The Daily Beast.