Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be on track to lock down the Democratic presidential nomination after President Joe Biden suspended his campaign Sunday afternoon.
Most of her potential competitors for the nomination have endorsed her bid, likely clearing her path. But it begs the question of who will join Harris's ticket as her running mate.
Conventional wisdom among Democrats is that Harris must choose a traditional white male leader, given Harris's status as the nation's first black vice president. It's in a similar vein to how former President Barack Obama chose Biden, seen as the elder statesman, as his running mate to balance out the ticket. That line of thinking rules out Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD), Maryland's first black governor, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), who would cause the Democratic ticket to have two women. "I am not leaving Michigan," Whitmer said , refusing any vice presidential rumors.
But some key potential candidates, such as Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), can't serve as Harris's running mate, given the Constitution bars electors from voting for presidential and vice presidential candidates who are from the same state.
Here are the pros and cons for the possible candidates who could join Harris's ticket.
Gov. Andy Beshear
Gov. Andy Beshear's (D-KY) two-term win in Kentucky, a deep-red state, would lend Harris an ability to connect with right-leaning independents and centrists. In 2023, Beshear won a second term by running on abortion rights against Republican Daniel Cameron. This would pair well with Harris, who stepped up as a key abortion rights advocate in the Biden administration. Beshear, a popular leader in Kentucky, is the son of Steve Beshear, who also won the governorship twice, and comes from a key political dynasty.
“The vice president is smart and strong, which will make her a good president, but she’s also kind and has empathy, which can make her a great president,” Andy Beshear said on MSNBC as he endorsed Harris. The governor appeared willing to join the ticket, telling Morning Joe, "I take it as a compliment, though, to what we've done in Kentucky."
"The only way I would consider something other than this current job is if I believe I could further help my people and to help this country," he added.
Andy Beshear is one of the youngest governors in the nation at 46, which could help Harris contrast the youthfulness of the ticket against former President Donald Trump, but it could also cause her to choose another candidate with more experience.
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman (D-KY) said she is " ready " to serve if Andy Beshear is selected to join Harris. “I wouldn't have accepted, if I didn't think I was ready," Coleman said. "And I don't think the governor would have asked me if he didn't think I was ready.”
Gov. Roy Cooper
Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC), another two-term governor, would boost Harris as Democrats in North Carolina hope to flip the Tar Heel State. Democrats say North Carolina is a battleground state, although the last Democratic president to win the state was Barack Obama in 2008.
But with Cooper on the ticket, Democrats could win the state, boosting Harris's efforts to win against Trump. It would also give her an added layer of protection if one of the handful of battleground states chooses Trump.
Cooper has made his support for Harris clear in a post on X. "Kamala Harris should be the next President. I’ve known @VP going back to our days as AGs, and she has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity," he wrote. "I look forward to campaigning for her as we work to win NC up and down the ticket."
The governor is term-limited and therefore available for higher office as Democrat Josh Stein faces off against the controversial Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC) to succeed Cooper. At 67, Cooper could face some questions about whether he is too old for the ticket.
Gov. Josh Shapiro
The popular Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) comes from Pennsylvania, a key battleground state crucial to any Democratic chance of winning the White House in November. Pennsylvania, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, formed the "Blue Wall" necessary for Harris to reach the coveted 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House.
Shapiro handily defeated the Trump-backed Doug Mastriano in 2022, 56.5% to 41.7%. He ran on protecting abortion access, overhauling the criminal justice system, and painted Mastriano as too extreme for the Keystone State. Shapiro is a Conservative Jew, which could help Harris as Democrats remain fractured over the war between Israel and Hamas or it could anger pro-Palestinian Democrats.
He would need to boost his national profile if he joined the Harris ticket as the governor is not as well known as other potential vice presidential contenders.
Shapiro, like many other Democrats, has endorsed Harris. "I will do everything I can to help elect @KamalaHarris as the 47th President of the United States," he wrote on X .
Sen. Mark Kelly
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has won two elections in Arizona, a critical battleground state that captured the nation's attention when the state Supreme Court allowed a Civil War-era abortion ban to go into effect. State leaders repealed the legislation in early May, but choosing Kelly would allow the Harris campaign to double down on winning Arizona. Kelly's status as a border-state lawmaker would also help counter GOP attacks that the Biden-Harris administration has been weak on immigration.
Kelly is also married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived a failed assassination attempt that caused a severe brain injury, leading to her resignation from Congress.
The catch, however, is that Democrats would be giving up a critical Senate seat as they attempt to hold on to their narrow majority in the upper chamber. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is battling against Republican Kari Lake for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). If Kelly were to join the ticket, it could give Republicans another chance to win a seat, given their already favorable chance of retaking the Senate.
"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 wrote on X .
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
Of all the potential running mate contenders, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is the only one to have run against Harris for the presidential nomination in 2020. Back then, he was mostly known as "Mayor Pete" for his role as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. In the four years that have passed, Buttigieg has gained notability as the first openly gay member of Biden's Cabinet.
Buttigieg's own youth at 42 could also help paint Democrats as the youthful party in contrast to the 78-year-old Trump, and he could also counteract Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), who as Trump's running mate is 39 and also comes from the Midwest.
It remains unclear if the country would vote for a ticket of both a black woman and an openly gay candidate. The ticket may be too progressive for some conservative voters. Hillary Clinton, the first woman to head a major party's presidential ticket, won the popular vote in 2016 but lost the Electoral College to Trump despite having Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), a white male leader from a former battleground state.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Midwestern Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) was a top surrogate when Biden was at the top of the Democratic ticket and as a wealthy candidate worth roughly $3.5 billion, Pritzker could help Harris with fundraising (although Harris has raised staggering amounts of money since throwing her hat into the race for the presidential nomination).
A political group tied to Pritzker has invested in funding initiatives to bolster abortion access across the nation after the fall of Roe v. Wade, further cementing a potential ticket in direct opposition to GOP attempts to limit abortion.
"Vice President Harris has proven, at every point in her career, that she possesses the skills, strength, and character to lead this country and the vision to better the lives of all Americans," Pritzker said in a statement Monday endorsing Harris. His initial statement on Biden exiting the race Sunday did not include an endorsement of Harris, instead opting to slam Trump.
When Democrats gather for the national convention next month in Chicago, Pritzker will be the host governor.
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