Here's Who Could Be Vice President to Kamala Harris

     Whichever name lands next to Kamala Harris's on the 2024 Democratic ticket, Harris can rest easily knowing that she has the opposite problem Donald Trump had in selecting a running mate. Trump only had to pick a new running mate because the mob he's been charged with felonies for sending to the Capitol tried to hang his last one, and his selection came down to a self-proclaimed hillbilly Trump believed to be the least mediocre of the former never-Trumpers who had since kissed his ring for the sake of political expediency.

     Harris, on the other hand, has a long list of possible candidates, each of whom would add to her chances of winning, chances that have already climbed drastically with the donation of nearly $200 million in less than 72 hours by hundreds of thousands of donors as well as the addition of tens of thousands of new volunteers in the same timeframe. The candidates, ranked in my view of their likelihood of being selected, are listed below:

1. Josh Shapiro is the young and popular governor of Pennsylvania. Aside from securing the Keystone State in the election, he would also make history as the first Jewish-American vice president and help sway voters who may have been more likely to vote for Trump in 2016 and 2020. His background could also hit home for Vice President Harris: Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff is Jewish, and Shapiro, like Harris, is the former attorney general of his home state.
2. Mark Kelly of Arizona comes from another battleground state as a senator, where he, like Shapiro in Pennsylvania, is beloved. He has perhaps the most compelling story of any of those on this list: he is a Gulf War veteran, a former astronaut, and the husband of 2011 Tucson shooting victim and former U.S. representative Gabby Giffords. He has a twin brother named Scott, who is also a veteran and an astronaut.
3. Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina is finishing up his second term, and he, like Shapiro, is a former attorney general of a battleground state. Biden did and Harris will continue to make flipping North Carolina a priority, especially considering the state has the most important gubernatorial race of the year. However, Cooper is also the oldest person on this list.
4. Andy Beshear of Kentucky is a very young and popular governor, winning two terms in a red state. He would help reach more moderate, Trump-aligned voters in red states and in rural areas. He, like Harris and Shapiro, is also a former state attorney general. However, with Mitch McConnell likely leaving the Senate in 2026, his being vice president would likely eliminate any chance Democrats have of flipping the seat.
5. J.B. Pritzker is the billionaire governor of Illinois who has improved his state's economy while championing progressive causes and becoming one of Donald Trump's most vocal critics. He does not come from a battleground state, but his deep pockets would significantly help Harris in her campaign.
6. Tim Walz is the progressive governor of Minnesota and the chair of the Democratic Governors Association who is a military veteran and has experience in agriculture, manufacturing, and education. Walz also served in the House of Representatives, and, as governor, gained a national profile for his response to the murder of George Floyd.
7. Governor Gretchen Whitmer is the governor of Michigan as well as a former prosecutor and Michigan Senate Minority Leader who has served as the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee since 2021 and delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Union in 2020. She has developed a national profile as a critic of Donald Trump as well as after a right-wing kidnapping plot against her was busted by the FBI and when she shared her experience being sexually assaulted in a speech supporting reproductive rights. However, she has said directly that she would not want to leave her office to be vice president.

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