Who Would Kamala Harris Pick as Her 2024 Running Mate? Possible VP Candidates to Fill Out New Democratic Ticket

Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the party into November on Sunday, July 21

With Joe Biden's departure from the presidential race on Sunday, July 21, the long-solidified 2024 Democratic ticket has a new opening.

Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the party into November, putting her in a strong position with his delegates ahead of the Democratic National Convention, but her top choice for a vice presidential nominee remains up in the air.

Related: J.D. Vance Isn't the Bridge-Building VP That Moderates Wanted: What He's Said About Women, Voting and Project 2025

Harris' ideal running mate would be able to make up for her weaknesses and neutralize the Trump-Vance ticket's strengths. In a perfect world, that person would represent a swing state, have foreign policy and military experience, have a compelling family or personal story, and hit different marks in terms of gender and race. They would also need to be willing to serve in a famously powerless role, and to do it under the leadership of Harris.

Speculation only bears so much weight in the turbulent world of politics, but considering the criteria — and rumors trickling out of Washington — these seven candidates are likely to get some buzz as the search for a running mate ramps up.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, 46, has proven capable of attracting a broad voter base, winning reelection in 2023 to a second term at the helm of one of the most conservative states in the nation. His knack for coalition-building in a divided political climate has made him a rising star in the Democratic Party.

Beshear, one of the nation's youngest sitting governors, could also drum up excitement among voters who were concerned about Biden's age, and neutralize Trump's choice to put a 39-year-old on the Republican ticket. His only downfall would be that, while he might appeal to voters on the national stage, he doesn't hail from a must-win state.

Prior to becoming governor in December 2019, Beshear served four years as Kentucky's attorney general.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut who flipped John McCain's Senate seat blue, has been tossed around as a possible candidate to fill out the ticket, both because of his bipartisan appeal and his ties to an important battleground state.

Kelly, 60, is married to former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who narrowly survived an assassination attempt in 2011 when a man shot her in the head during a community event. Together, Kelly and Giffords have spoken out against political violence and, in June, wrote an essay for PEOPLE about reproductive freedoms — both significant topics in the 2024 election.

Though plenty of anonymous sources have offered conflicting takes to media outlets on who Harris would pick, multiple sources have said that Kelly either is, or should be, at the top of her list.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper

Outgoing North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, 67, is wrapping up his final term in office, where he has spent eight years learning how to govern with a Republican-led General Assembly.

In July, two sources close to the Biden-Harris campaign told The New York Times that Cooper was emerging as one of the serious contenders for a potential VP replacement, even if it would raise the average age on the ticket.

He and Harris got to know each other while they were serving as their states' attorney generals, and the DNC has been hopeful that North Carolina — which hasn't gone blue since the 2008 election — could prove competitive in November.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, like others on this list, followed the attorney general to governor pipeline when he was elected to lead his state by a 15% margin in the 2022 midterms.

Related: GOP Leaders Endorse Josh Shapiro for Pennsylvania Gov. After Republican Candidate Seen Wearing Confederate Uniform

Prior to the VP buzz, Shapiro, 51, was relatively unknown outside the Keystone State, but he's now seen as a strong candidate for the simple reason that he could help Democrats win over the Rust Belt.

It has long been said that Democrats' best chance to Electoral College victory in November is to secure the "blue wall," which includes Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota — and on Shapiro's home turf his popularity ratings soar, demonstrating his bipartisan appeal.

Though Shapiro has been characterized as "inexperienced" in comparison to other possible running mates, since he's only in his second year as governor, he is not a newcomer to politics. Prior to serving as the state's attorney general he was chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, and he spent seven years in the Pennsylvania state House.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, 59, has emerged as an unlikely champion of the progressive movement since taking office in 2019, particularly on the issues of reproductive rights and gun safety. He is also known to hold no punches when he goes on the offensive against Trump.

A more practical benefit, though, than his track record in executive office is that Pritzker is the wealthiest politician in the United States: His family founded the Hyatt hotel chain and his net worth is estimated at more than $3 billion, which would certainly come in handy as the Democratic Party scrambles to recalibrate.

Plus, his Midwest familiarity could theoretically translate into an argument that he understands the region's concerns (though Illinois' solidly blue politics may undermine that argument a bit).

Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, 42, made a name for himself in the party for his ability to clearly articulate a message — a skill that's been on display in recent House hearings, as he's gone viral for fact-checking Republican lawmaker's claims with counter-statistics in live time.

Dubbed "Mayor Pete" when he joined the 2020 Democratic primary race as the little-known mayor of South Bend, Ind., Buttigieg ultimately placed fifth. In the process, though, he made history as the first openly gay man to launch a major party presidential campaign, and would make history again as a vice presidential nominee.

Related: Pete Buttigieg Denies Rivalry with Vice President Kamala Harris: 'No Room' for 'Parlor Games'

Like his would-be opponent J.D. Vance, Buttigieg is an Ivy League graduate (he studied history and literature at Harvard), a veteran (he was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve), and a millennial. He is also a former Rhodes Scholar who has worked on multiple Democratic campaigns.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, 52, first entered the national conversation when it was rumored that she was on Biden's running mate shortlist in 2020. Now in her second term as governor, she remains an appealing pick for a divided party.

Whitmer has been handily elected to statewide office twice in a key battleground state that could determine this year's presidential winner. She has also been an outspoken voice on the effort to protect abortion, and — like Trump — has first-hand experience with violence, after a widely reported plot to kidnap Whitmer and overthrow the state government was thwarted by law enforcement.

Related: Gretchen Whitmer Says She Thinks About Her Safety 'Everywhere I Go' in Wake of Attempted Kidnapping

Outside of the governorship, Whitmer's experience would prove useful: She previously served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and has been a co-chair of the Biden-Harris reelection campaign. She also has experience in the Michigan state House and as the state Senate minority leader, and was a county prosecutor.

Still, The Hill cited a familiar source in claiming that Whitmer is not interested in joining the ticket as vice president this year.

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