The VP is in search of a VP.
Kamala Harris , a newly minted presidential candidate, will want a partner who can help her beat former President Donald Trump in November. That could mean a running mate with strength in a battleground state (or states) or someone who brings biographical diversity to the ticket.
The vice president has support from enough Democratic National Convention delegates to become the party’s nominee , according to an Associated Press survey. She must make a running-mate decision before the gathering in Chicago on Aug. 19.
Many Democrats think Harris will want to choose a white man to provide balance, not unlike how her gender and race were seen as factors for why President Biden picked her as his 2020 running mate. That helps explain why the list below—just some of the names being most heavily mentioned—is heavy on white men (seven out of 10).
The list is also heavy on governors. Harris could pick someone from Congress, but she already has that experience on her résumé and governors bring executive experience. Several thought to be under consideration also come from top battleground states.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom , who might have 2028 ambitions , is probably off the list because his shared residency with Harris in the state could present a significant hurdle. The Constitution mandates a president and vice president come from different states.
All of those below have endorsed Harris, a likely prerequisite for being picked. The list is in alphabetical order, since it is still too early to handicap the uncertain field.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has a high state approval rating in polls. PHOTO: JON CHERRY FOR WSJ
Andy Beshear
The governor of Kentucky easily won a second term in November in a deeply Republican state. The 46-year-old managed to win in both urban and rural areas, something increasingly rare for Democrats. His state approval rating in polls has made him one of the most popular Democratic governors in the country and he has started to expand his national networking as a potential 2028 presidential candidate . His ability to win over white working-class voters could help in many of the battleground states.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks as he visits the site of the derailment of a train carrying hazardous waste in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Alan Freed/File Photo
Pete Buttigieg
Picking the transportation secretary would create a gap on the current cabinet, but would likely help animate Democrats. Buttigieg, who was often referred to as “ Mayor Pete ” during his 2020 presidential bid, is popular with the base and some independent voters. The 42-year-old has had to deal with major infrastructure and transportation issues—and crises—in his current assignment. The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., is gay and a leading administration voice on LGBTQ issues. His husband is from battleground Michigan.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has made campaign appearances with Kamala Harris. PHOTO: TRAVIS DOVE FOR WSJ
Roy Cooper
The 67-year-old governor of North Carolina is term-limited after winning elections in 2016 and 2020, both years that Trump carried the battleground state. The moderate Democrat hasn’t always been successful in blocking conservative legislation put forward by his state’s Republican-controlled General Assembly, but he did manage to slightly moderate abortion legislation last year. That issue is among the top ones for Democrats this year. Harris and Cooper overlapped in their tenures as state attorneys general. They got to know each other during that period, and Cooper has made campaign appearances with her this year.
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly could help Democrats in a battleground state. PHOTO: ASH PONDERS FOR WSJ
Mark Kelly
The 60-year-old senator from Arizona won re-election in 2022 and could help Democrats win a battleground state that has been leaning toward Trump in recent polling. The former astronaut and Navy veteran would also bring military experience to the ticket, something that JD Vance brought to the GOP one after Trump picked him as his running mate during the Republican National Convention. Kelly’s 2022 win was his second in two years, after winning the seat in 2020 to serve the remainder of the late Republican Sen. John McCain ’s term. Arizona was long a reliably Republican state until Democrats in recent history showed an ability to win there with the help of a coalition that has included anti-Trump Republicans and independents. Kelly is married to ex-Rep. Gabby Giffords , who was nearly killed by a gunman in 2011 and is now a prominent advocate for gun control.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore speaks to the press after attending a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and other Democratic governors at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Wes Moore
The 45-year-old Maryland governor, an Army combat veteran and Rhodes scholar, became his state’s first Black chief executive when he was elected in 2022. An author and past nonprofit executive, Moore signed an executive order pardoning more than 175,000 cannabis-related convictions in June as part of a nationwide trend to loosen restrictions on the drug. Moore, who has been busy recently dealing with the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, has been mentioned as a possible 2028 presidential candidate.
FILE PHOTO: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker speaks on the day U.S. President Joe Biden delivers an economic policy speech at The Old Post Office in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 28, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
J.B. Pritzker
The governor of Illinois is the only billionaire on the list and has increasingly been working to expand onto the national stage, perhaps in preparation for a 2028 presidential bid. The 59-year-old has been an aggressive surrogate for the Biden-Harris ticket in battleground states and has been especially involved with fighting for abortion rights. His political skills have grown during his time as governor, and he is a top Democratic donor, which will likely get him some courtesy calls during the search process if nothing else. He will help host the national convention in Chicago next month.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo might make the ticket look more business friendly. PHOTO: ELIZABETH FRANTZ FOR WSJ
Gina Raimondo
The commerce secretary wouldn’t bring any gender diversity or battleground strengths to the ticket, but she does have executive experience as a former Rhode Island governor. The 53-year-old has emerged as a rising star in Washington and could make the ticket look more business friendly, an area where Democrats sometimes are viewed skeptically. She also brings some foreign-policy expertise, particularly in dealing with China.
epa10289105 Pennsylvania Attorney General candidate Josh Shapiro speaks at a rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 05 November 2022. The US midterm elections are held every four years at the midpoint of each presidential term and this year include elections for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate and 36 of the 50 state governors as well as numerous other local seats and ballot issues. EPA/WILL OLIVER
Josh Shapiro
Democrats almost certainly need to win Pennsylvania if they want a chance at keeping the White House. The 51-year-old governor there is popular, and he won a larger share of the statewide vote in 2022, when he was elected the state’s top executive, than Biden did in 2020. Shapiro rose onto the national radar as state attorney general for a high-profile investigation into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Shapiro, if picked, would be just the second Jewish running mate on a major-party ticket in U.S. history. His staunchly pro-Israel views could be problematic among a Democratic base that has been critical of Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza. Also, his initial support in 2023 for a Republican-backed proposal to send $100 million to families for private-school tuition and school supplies angered teachers’ unions, a traditional base of support for Democrats.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to the press after attending a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and other Democratic governors at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Tim Walz
The folksy Minnesota governor, a 60-year-old former member of the U.S. House and past high-school teacher and football coach, was re-elected to a second term in 2022. He has increasingly been showing up in neighboring Midwest states as a surrogate for Democrats—he could be especially helpful to Harris in battleground Wisconsin—and is looking like someone who has higher ambitions. He led Minnesota through the unrest that followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. Walz has been a strong supporter of abortion rights and legalizing recreational marijuana.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is from the ‘blue wall’ state of Michigan. PHOTO: EMILY ELCONIN FOR WSJ
Gretchen Whitmer
The popular governor of Michigan seemingly took herself out of consideration the day after Harris became a presidential candidate by saying , “I am not leaving Michigan.” Whitmer, 52, made it onto Biden’s shortlist for a running mate in 2020. If she were on the 2024 ticket, she could help Democrats win a state that has looked to be their weakest among the three “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Based on her own words, it seems more likely that she will remain a robust surrogate for Harris in Michigan.
Write to John McCormick at mccormick.john@wsj.com
