Here’s who is getting extra attention as Kamala Harris’ running mate search picks up

Prominent Democratic donors and leading Democrats in Arizona are pushing Vice President Kamala Harris to choose Sen. Mark Kelly as her running mate, a selection process that campaign aides say remains wide open despite the truncated timeframe they face to finalize a Democratic ticket before the party’s convention next month.

Kelly and Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, remain among the favorites of Democratic voters and donors, according to polls, surveys and betting markets. Govs. Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Andy Beshear of Kentucky — both also under consideration by the Harris campaign — would offer Harris a chief executive who has a track record of winning red state voters.

But Kelly’s stock rose further on Wednesday after he moved to allay the concerns of some union organizations, endorsing a bill that would expand labor protections and employee rights.

“Kelly is one of the most popular picks, and I see why,” said Dmitri Mehlhorn, a political adviser to Democratic donors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. “I think Arizona is still gettable and more gettable with Kamala.”

A political adviser to Kelly declined to comment.

Harris’ campaign denied that Kelly and Shapiro — another name floated as a frontrunner in the deliberations — are the two top contenders to be her running mate, as it seeks to preserve secrecy around an expedited vetting process that could culminate as soon as this week.

“Any reporting on developments or updates in Vice President Harris’ running mate search are premature and speculative,” Kevin Munoz, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, told McClatchy.

But a Harris campaign official said that the vetting process has begun “in earnest,” and that the campaign does not expect to provide additional updates “until the vice president announces who will be serving as her running mate.”

Harris will choose a running mate, the official added, based on similar qualities outlined by Joe Biden when he selected her to run alongside him in 2020: shared values, a governing partner, and the qualifications to serve as president if called upon.

Harris’ ultimate selection for her No. 2 will go a long way in revealing her political instincts, considering most of the finalists hail from competitive states that will decide the Electoral College.

The 60-year-old Kelly, who is serving his first full term in the Senate, brings an attractive biography that the party would be eager to showcase.

A U.S. Navy combat pilot and NASA astronaut who flew four missions in space, Kelly is also the husband of Gabby Giffords, the former congresswoman who suffered severe brain damage from a shot in the head and has since dedicated her professional life to the passage of gun control legislation. A border-state senator, Kelly could also prove to be a useful foil against the Trump campaign’s attacks on the Biden administration’s immigration record.

Trailed by reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday, Kelly did not deny interest in joining the ticket. “This is not about me,” he said.

But Kelly’s attachment to Arizona has excited some Democrats about their ability to rekindle the magic of the 2020 campaign, when Biden carried the state by 10,457 votes.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, the Democratic candidate for Arizona’s other Senate seat in November, told reporters on Wednesday that choosing Kelly for the ticket would “add that extra jolt to the campaign.”

Kelly is “a border state senator, understands border issues,” Gallego said, “is an astronaut, married to Gabby Giffords. It’s all kinds of a good combination right there.”

Harris may need to rely on Arizona’s 10 electoral college votes if she loses either Michigan or Wisconsin. But taking Kelly — a moderate with wide appeal in Arizona — out of the Senate could pose future challenges for Democrats, who would have to replace him with a viable alternative for the 2026 midterm elections.

Harris phoned Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, on Monday, amid a flurry of calls by the presumptive Democratic nominee in the 48 hours since President Joe Biden announced his decision to bow out of the race.

Alan Solomont, a former ambassador to Spain and Massachusetts-based Democratic donor, touted Kelly’s ability to attract Gen Z voters as an advantage over Shapiro.

“Kelly’s leadership on combating gun violence will motivate young people. Arizona has 11 electoral votes – only 6 behind Pennsylvania — and the young voters he will attract is worth more than the difference,” Solomont said.

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Shapiro, 51, was elected to his first term as governor just two years ago. While his support for Israel and school vouchers have become flashpoints among progressives, his variances from party orthodoxy also may make him more saleable to independent voters that Democrats are desperate to pull back into their fold. Most crucially, Shapiro engineered a landslide in the nation’s largest battleground state that Harris has to carry this fall.

“Pennsylvania stands alone in significance. It’s a must-win state for Democrats,” said Nathan Daschle, a former executive director of the Democratic Governors Association. “Shapiro got [Sen. John] Fetterman over the line in 2022. If he can give Harris a couple of points, he could be a game changer.”

History shows vice presidential candidates rarely impact the final vote. They gobble up attention around their selection, but voters focus on the top of the ticket as November approaches and the sidekicks are pushed to the periphery of the political conversation.

No vice presidential selection in modern history has been a “gamechanger,” according to Stefan Hankin, a Democratic data strategist.

“The range feels more between questionable choice and good call,” Hankin said.

Andy Beshear, the second-term Kentucky governor, has arguably taken the most aggressive steps to pitch himself, appearing on both MSNBC and CNN to display his rhetorical chops and attack J. D. Vance, Trump’s running mate.

“Who drinks Diet Mountain Dew?,” asked Beshear of Vance’s beverage choice.

But Beshear is the only elected official being considered who doesn’t represent a competitive state, potentially hurting his chances.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who ran against Harris in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, is also being considered, as is Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, whose MSNBC interview calling out Trump created waves online.

“My guess is much depends on one, the depth of the working relationship with each of them and two, what she feels like she needs to strengthen the ticket and governing team,” said James Hodges, the former Democratic governor of South Carolina.

In a vote taken Wednesday to adopt rules for its convention, the Democratic National Committee set Aug. 7 as the deadline for a vice presidential nominee to be chosen in advance of ballot access deadlines.

While many contributors have their favorite, Mehlhorn said that almost all are OK with the list being circulated, “so donors will unite behind Harris in any case.”