5 reasons Pete Buttigieg could be Kamala Harris' VP pick, 3 reasons Gretchen Whitmer could

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rank high in national speculation about the Democratic nomination for vice president on a ticket headed by Kamala Harris.

Vice President Harris is regarded as virtually certain to become the presidential nominee after President Joe Biden’s announcement of dropping his re-election effort and endorsing her for president.

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Who will be her running mate for vice president? There are many prosects. Two, Buttigieg and Whitmer, are well-known — and well-liked in terms of past election results — in Michiana.

Neither is regarded as THE favorite. Nobody is. The final say is expected to rest with Harris after analysis of polling, evaluations of ability to serve and recommendations of strategists.

Mike Schmuhl, Indiana Democratic chairman, who was campaign manager for Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign and first campaign for mayor of South Bend, said in a telephone interview that “Pete would be a terrific choice.”

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While Schmuhl agreed that the choice will rest with Harris, he cited five reasons for selecting Buttigieg. He said Buttigieg:

1. Is “an excellent communicator, one of the best,” who could effectively present Democratic views on television, including in a debate with the Republican vice-presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.

2. Would provide geographical balance on the ticket with Harris, who is from California. “She needs someone from the heartland,” Schmuhl said, and Buttigieg is “a Mid-Westerner through and through.”

3. Has already been “vetted,” with scrutiny as a presidential candidate, Cabinet nominee and in heading the massive Transportation Department through times of crisis.

4. Is familiar already with the functioning of the administration as one of only two from the 2020 presidential campaign continuing on in the administration. The other is Harris.

5. Fulfills the desire to turn to younger generations “where there now is so much energy.” Buttigieg is 42 years old.

A Survey/USA ranked choice poll in early July in six swing states found Buttigieg the top choice as a new vice-presidential nominee, if Harris moved to the top of the ticket, as now she will. Buttigieg was first choice of 20%. Whitmer was second, at 19%. Third was Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, 14%. There will be lot of new polling.

Newsweek reported that Buttigieg was first in betting odds.

The former South Bend mayor is receiving attention because of his meteoric rise in the 2020 race for the Democratic presidential nomination. He won the Iowa caucuses and came close to winning the New Hampshire primary but then faded and provided one of the key endorsements of Biden for the nomination.

Whitmer is high in speculation because Michigan is a key state, and she won overwhelming re-election as governor there in 2022, leading Democrats to winning control of both chambers of the legislature.

If Whitmer was picked, the result would be the first-ever national ticket with two women. There is debate over whether that would help or hurt in the present situation. Democrats are counting on a strong outpouring of women voters.

Schmuhl also had praise for Whitmer and said an all-woman ticket would be “truly historic.”

Buttigieg now is a Michigan resident, but not associated with the crucial state as much as the state’s governor. He moved to Traverse City in 2022 with his spouse, Chasten Buttigieg, and their two children.

How a running mate would perform in a debate with Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, will likely be an important consideration.

Whitmer and Vance have strongly differing views on abortion. She favors keeping abortion legal in many circumstances. He has advocated a national ban. That likely would be a major topic if they debated.

Buttigieg, the first openly gay Cabinet member, would be in a debate with a Republican nominee who has opposed LGBTQ causes and advanced claims LGBTQ people "groom" children.

Buttigieg gave a preview of how he might confront Vance when he appeared on “Real Time with Bill Maher” right after Vance was selected as Donald Trump’s running mate.

Asked about support of wealthy tech executives swinging to Vance and Trump, Buttigieg said, “I know there are a lot of folks who say, ‘What’s going on with these Silicon Valley folks veering into Trump world with J.D. Vance and backing Trump?’ . . . We’ve made it way too complicated. It’s super simple. These are very rich men who have decided to back the Republican Party that tends to do good things for very rich men.”

Buttigieg, looking back to his own Ivy League days at Harvard, said of Vance, a Yale law graduate, “I found a lot of people like him who would say whatever they needed to, to get ahead. Five years ago, that seemed like being the anti-Trump Republican, so that’s what he was . . . Five years later, the way he gets ahead is that (Trump) is the greatest guy since sliced bread.”

Whitmer would bring to campaigning and debate a use of humor that sometimes has enabled her to turn attacks on her to her own advantage.

In her just released book, “True Gretch,” the governor tells of taking advantage of how Trump, during the rise of the coronavirus, instructed during a news conference on Covid assistance, “Don’t call the woman in Michigan.” She turned that into distribution of T-shirts, bumper stickers and email messages with, “That Woman from Michigan.”

When Trump referred to her as “HalfWhit – mer,” she jokingly featured some family recipes as “HalfWhit” favorites.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Mayor Pete, Governor Gretchen two top contenders to be Harris VP pick