Harris indicates she is getting closer to naming her running mate

Kamala Harris will tour battleground states next week with her vice presidential candidate, in a sign she is ready to make a decision about who it will be.

The plan, as reported by Reuters, indicates that Harris will name her running mate for the Democratic presidential ticket by this weekend.

The short list of candidates under consideration include Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

Several of the contenders were out campaigning for her this weekend in battleground states in what many saw as tryouts for the vice presidential slot.

The list has also narrowed as North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper took himself out of the running on Monday, saying ‘this just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket.’ 

Kamala Harris will tour battleground states next week with her vice presidential candidate

Harris, 59, has been the focus of Democratic attention since President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 campaign. 

She quickly took over Biden’s campaign infrastructure and seamlessly transitioned to the de facto 2024 Democratic candidate last week when she earned enough support from delegates to win the nomination.

She is now searching for her vice presidential candidate, focusing on mostly men with executive experience from swing states in order to round out the ticket.

Her search is ongoing and her teams of lawyers and political aides are still reviewing information.

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Harris is having personal conversations with the finalists. 

If Harris wins the White House in November, she would be the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to serve as president. 

Given that, many Democrats have argued she should balance her ticket both demographically and politically with her VP pick. 

Several of the contenders have been on the trail for her already.

Shapiro and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmore were in Pennsylvania for her over the weekend although Whitmore has taken herself out of the running for vice presdient.

Meanwhile, Beshear was in Georgia on Sunday. And Buttigieg has been all over the cable news, touting Harris’ credentials.

There are reports Harris has narrowed down her choices to Shaprio, Kelly, Beshear and Walz. All four men would be a balance on the ticket. 

Kelly hails from the swing state of Arizona and Shapiro from the swing state of Pennsylvania. Republicans are making a play for Walz’s state of Minnesota. And Beshear hails from Kentucky, making him the rare Democrat to win a statewide race in that red state. 

All four men would also help appeal to working-class, white, rural voters who have drifted away from the party. Joe Biden was able to win many of them over, helping him take the White House in 2020.

Here’s a closer look at the contenders: 

GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO OF PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro

Shapiro, 51, is among the most popular U.S. governors, winning his 2022 election in a rout over a Trump-endorsed Republican. 

He’s an outspoken supporter of abortion rights who has won three statewide elections in Pennsylvania. His speaking style draws comparisons to former President Barack Obama. 

As attorney general, he rooted out abuse in the Catholic Church. 

But he has taken flak from the left for his support for Israel’s war on Hamas, a private school voucher program and natural gas infrastructure.

His allies argue that he would help Harris win Pennsylvania, which is part of the Democrats’ ‘blue wall’ of midwest states to keep Trump out of the White House.

However, if he’s picked he will likely have to answer allegations about one of his  top aides and closest allies, Mike Vereb, who stepped down amid a sexual harassment investigation. 

KENTUCKY GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR 

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear

Beshear, 46, THPT (https://lambangcapgiarenhat.com) stands out in a heavily Republican state.

During his weekend stop in Georgia for Harris, he talked of winning votes in ‘tough counties’ but emphasized liberal bona fides: ‘I am a proud pro-union governor. I am a proud pro-choice governor. I am a proud public education governor. I am a proud pro-diversity governor.’

There have been qustions about Beshear’s stance on abortion rights, which is he is pushing to clarify. He picked the self-described ‘personally pro-life’ Democrat, Jacqueline Coleman, to be his lieutenant governor.

Closest in age to JD Vance among the Democrats’ possibilities, Beshear openly mocks Trump’s understudy for presenting himself as a son of Appalachia. ‘I mean, there’s a county that JD Vance says he’s from in Kentucky – and I won it by 22 points last November,’ he said.

MINNESOTA GOVERNOR TIM WALZ

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz

Walz, 60, is a favorite of some progressives. 

He brings an atypical national political resume: He was a non-commissioned Army officer, public school teacher and state high school championship football coach before entering politics. 

Before being elected governor, he was one of the last white Democrats in Congress to represent a mostly rural, small-town House district. He spent 12 years on Capitol Hill. 

He’s a notable step away from Harris, who hails from the liberal city of San Francisco, which many Democrats argue bodes well for the ticket. 

His supporters argue he is best positioned to bring rural white males and union workers to the Democratic ticket.

SENATOR MARK KELLY OF ARIZONA

Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona

Kelly, 60, is the only top contender in Congress. 

He boasts an impressive military resume and experience as an astronaut. 

He has strong Latino support locally and solid relationships with Arizona officials along the U.S.-Mexico border. That balance could give him credibility on immigration policy as Republicans frame high numbers of migrant border crossings as a national crisis.

But Kelly has had to shore up his credentials with labor, a key Democratic faction. 

Kelly changed his position on union-backed legislation known as the PRO Act, which would make it easier to organize workers. He was one of just a handful of Democrats who didn’t co-sponsor the bill, saying at the time he supported the goals but had concerns. Following opposition from labor leaders, Kelly said this month he would vote for the bill if it came up for a vote.

His wife, Gabby Giffords, was a former member of Congress who was shot in her district in 2011. Her recovery was a national celebration.

DemocratsArizonaKamala HarrisKentucky