Who Will Be Kamala’s VP? Democrat Governors Vie for the Role As Announcement Expected Next Week

Democrat governors are vying for the apparently coveted role as Kamala Harris’ running mate.

This week, Democrat Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — one of the names being floated around as Kamala’s potential pick — vouched for Kamala and also touted his (so-called) achievements in the key battleground state.

Another potential choice, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, told voters in Georgia that Kamala would make a “great president” and boasted about being a Democrat in a Republican state.

According to inside sources, Kamala’s campaign is considering about a dozen people.

Reportedly, we should find out her decision soon as she is expected to visit battleground states next week with her chosen running mate.

She is expected to announce it before her rally in Philadelphia, which has a lot of people thinking it will be Shapiro.

🚨🇺🇸KAMALA TO ANNOUNCE RUNNING MATE AHEAD OF PHILLY RALLY NEXT WEEK

According to sources, VP Kamala Harris is planning to hold a rally with her yet-to-be-named running mate in Philadelphia next Tuesday.

The timing indicates that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is likely the… pic.twitter.com/EkPGdkBdbT

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 31, 2024

AP reports:

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to launch a battleground tour next week with her yet-to-be-named running mate, with stops in seven swing states stretching from Pennsylvania to Nevada, her campaign said Tuesday.

The planned tour is the latest sign of the whirlwind pace at which Harris has gone from President Joe Biden’s supportive running mate to likely Democratic nominee ready to identify her No. 2 and take on Republican Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

Harris said Tuesday she hadn’t made a decision yet on whom she will select.

Those who are under consideration have been demonstrating a time-honored tradition: summertime auditions in which vice presidential contenders walk the line between open self-promotion and loyal advocacy for the potential boss.

To that end, Democrat Josh Shapiro told enthusiastic voters in suburban Philadelphia this week that Harris belongs in the White House — and then reminded them of all he’s done as governor of battleground Pennsylvania. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, likewise, told voters in Georgia that Harris has the makings of “a great president” — and then highlighted the elections he’s won as a Democrat in Republican territory.

Harris’ campaign has been vetting about a dozen potential running mates, according to people familiar with the search process. Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly are seen as among the front-runners, according to the people.

The campaign said Harris and her running mate will make stops next week in Philadelphia; western Wisconsin; Detroit; Raleigh, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Here’s a FULL update on who’s in and who’s out of the running, from USA Today...

In:

• U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Kelly, 60, is a former astronaut and U.S. Navy captain. His political career began a few years ago when he flipped the seat held by former Arizona Sen. John McCain in a 2020 special election after McCain died from brain cancer in 2018. Kelly won reelection in 2022 and has been a centrist voice in Congress, criticizing the Biden Administration for its handling of immigration at the Southern border. Kelly also helped shape the CHIPS and Science Act.
• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Shapiro, 51, was elected governor of Pennsylvania in 2022, a “must-win” in the 2024 presidential race. His political career includes serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011, as a Montgomery County commissioner from 2011 to 2017, and as the state’s attorney general from 2017 to 2023, where he built a reputation as a legal opponent of Trump in that role.
• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Walz, 60, was a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party before he was elected governor in 2018. He won reelection in 2022. His pre-political background includes military service and a career in education. He joined the Army National Guard after graduating high school and taught and coached high school football. After he retired from the military in 2005, Walz represented Minnesota’s First Congressional District from 2006 to 2019.
• Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, 59, was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and part of the family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain. As governor, Pritzker has focused on significant investments in infrastructure, worked on balancing the budget and improving the state’s credit rating. He’s also amassed a cult-like following on social media through the tongue-in-cheek X, formerly known as Twitter account, Nomadic Warriors for Pritzker.
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Beshear, 46, was first elected governor of the Bluegrass State in 2018, and his current term ends in 2027. He served Kentucky as the commonwealth’s attorney general from 2016 to 2019. As a Democrat representing a reliably red state, Beshear said the party needs a “unifying message” to win in November. In 2019, he signed an executive order that restored the voting rights of more than 140,000 people convicted of a felony and had completed their sentences, effectively addressing one of the most extensive mechanisms of voter disenfranchisement in the commonwealth.
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg, 42, is the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 and nearly tied with Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Iowa Caucus before dropping out and endorsing Biden. He has since moved from Indiana to Michigan with his family. Buttigieg was appointed the Transportation Secretary for the Biden administration in 2021 and dealt with several national emergencies, including global supply chain disruptions, airline industry upheavals, and the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

OUT:

• North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper: Cooper confirmed in a statement Monday night that he’s withdrawn himself from consideration to be Harris’ pick as vice president. The twice-elected 67-year-old governor, who also served as attorney general, was considered by Democrats as a strategic choice to secure a win in the Tarheel State for Harris.
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer, rumored to be in the running for Vice President Kamala Harris’ potential ticket mate, told CBS Mornings on Monday that she has not been a part of the vetting process. Whitmer, co-chair of the Harris campaign, said she has communicated with everyone, including the people of Michigan, that she plans to remain governor until the end of her term in 2026.

Whoever it is, it will be entertaining to see them square off against JD Vance in a debate…

Who would you like to see up on that stage?