Because we are being forced to absorb a decade’s worth of paradigm-shifting news in the matter of one calendar month, pundits have now pivoted to speculation surrounding who Democrats will choose as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate.
President Joe Biden is out of the race, and aside from a post on X announcing his withdrawal and a bizarre speakerphone call to Harris at what was formerly Biden HQ in Wilmington, Delaware, the alleged president has not been seen or heard from in six days. Considering his physical and mental state, Democrats and the press know that now is the time to prop up his replacement, and her eventual replacement, if they have any hope of stopping former President Donald Trump’s seemingly inevitable march back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Harris campaign has reportedly requested vetting materials from Govs. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), Roy Cooper (D-NC), and Tim Walz (D-MN), as well as Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). Democrats are almost certainly assuming that Harris, whose father is Jamaican and mother is Indian, checks enough intersectionality boxes to appease their DEI-obsessed base, allowing them to select a straight, white person who can help the Left stop the bleeding in the rust belt.
Harris has a number of vulnerabilities Democrats will try to alleviate with a solid vice presidential pick. She has never proven her appeal outside of her home state of California, dropped out before Iowa when she ran in the Democratic primary in 2020, and her radical policy positions are a liability as the Trump campaign pivots to the center.
Far-left governors such as Walz and Pritzker would do nothing to help a Harris-led ticket in the swing states. Even Whitmer, governor of the all-important state of Michigan, would be a poor choice due to her radicalism and COVID-19 tyranny-related baggage . Of course, Democrats could choose to champion feminism with a Harris-Whitmer ticket, but I’m not sure this is a winning strategy for them. Pritzker’s incredible wealth is undeniably enticing, but it is likely fair to assume these three candidates will fail to get the nod.
Shapiro is Jewish, and as CNN’s John King reported , it is unlikely Democrats want a Jew, let alone a Zionist, anywhere near the ticket considering the pervasive antisemitism among young Democrats. Considering Harris’s boycott of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s congressional address, it would be shocking if she picked Shapiro, despite the fact that he is a popular young governor in a vital swing state.
This leaves Cooper of North Carolina and Kelly of Arizona. Both come from swing states Harris is losing . My money is on Kelly — North Carolina is probably out of reach this year for Democrats, and the state has not gone blue in a presidential election since President Barack Obama won it in 2008. Biden narrowly won Arizona in 2020, and aside from Kelly’s history as an astronaut — who doesn’t love outer space? — he is one of the Left’s best fundraisers , a vital skill if Democrats are going to make up for a significant polling deficit in just over 100 days.
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Despite a radical voting record and an "F" liberty score from Conservative Review, Kelly is viewed as moderate and has appeal across the aisle. He is a straight, white former astronaut who is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot by a madman at a campaign stop in 2011. His history, home state, and ability to rake in giant piles of cash make him the likeliest pick.
However, we are talking about the party that thought it wise to nominate, elect, and protect a dementia-ridden man until the act was physically impossible to maintain. Sound judgment has never been the Democratic Party’s calling card.
Brady Leonard ( @bradyleonard ) is a musician, political strategist, and host of The No Gimmicks Podcast.
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