Harris' VP options: From Josh Shapiro to Mark Kelly, sizing up the slate's pros and cons
Democratic leaders are rallying to crown Vice President Kamala Harris their party’s 2024 presidential nominee, raising the question of whom she could choose as her running mate.
The slate of rising stars said to be in consideration for the coveted role include swing state governors, a battle-tested Biden Cabinet appointee and military veterans. One thing they'd all have in common should they become the No. 2 to the nation's first female president: They could all court pivotal blocs of voters across the country.
Who has been mentioned as possible VP candidate?
Here’s a look at nine of the top vice presidential candidates Harris is likely considering, along with the pros and cons for each as Democrats seek to hold the White House.
Andy Beshear | Pete Buttigieg | Roy Cooper | Mark Kelly | J.B. Pritzker | Cedric Richmond | Josh Shapiro | Tim Walz | Gretchen Whitmer
Andy Beshear
Pros:
The twice-elected governor of a deep-red state, Beshear has a proven ability to garner support from a wide coalition of voters, including Trump Republicans and moderates.
Beshear could counter Sen. JD Vance’s rhetoric about the Appalachian region, which includes portions of Kentucky, to win over Rust Belt swing voters.
Beshear, 46, has bipartisan leadership credentials, having worked with a Republican Legislature to lead his state through multiple disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic, tornadoes and floods.
Cons:
Kentucky is a Republican stronghold, and it’s unlikely Beshear would give Democrats an electoral advantage in the state.
Beshear has little foreign policy experience.
He is also relatively unvetted at the national level and is unlikely to have much name recognition among voters outside Kentucky.
Pete Buttigieg
Pros:
Buttigieg is already a well-known Democratic figure who has experience campaigning across the country from his 2020 presidential bid and service as a Biden Cabinet member. He also served in the military and can speak to defense and international debate.
As the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg can speak to the concerns of voters in Rust Belt swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
At age 42, he is the youngest contender being considered for the VP slot and is openly gay. He may be better equipped to energize core Democratic base constituencies, including LGBTQ+, millennial and Gen Z voters.
Cons:
Buttigieg’s identity as an openly gay man could hurt Democrats' chances of wooing conservative-leaning independents, especially on a ticket with the first Black female vice president.
As transportation secretary, Buttigieg has faced an array of criticism, including his handling of the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio – a disaster Vance has focused on in the Senate.
During his 2020 run for the Democratic presidential nomination, Buttigieg struggled to appeal to Black and Latino voters who are key parts of a Democratic path to victory in November.
Roy Cooper
Pros:
Cooper has won six statewide elections in the key 2024 battleground state of North Carolina, including two governor's races, and could help Democrats carry the Southern swing territory.
Harris already has a working relationship with Cooper. They both served as their state’s respective attorney general, and Harris has described the North Carolina leader as a “dear friend.”
Cooper is in search of a new job. Unlike some of the other governors on the list, he is in the last year of his final term in office.
Cons:
Cooper, 67, is one of the oldest contenders for the VP post.
Republicans have controlled the North Carolina Legislature since Cooper has been in power, which could make it difficult for him to claim full credit for successful policies.
Cooper has been criticized for dismissing charges against three Duke University lacrosse players who were accused of sexually assaulting a dancer.
North Carolina is in a tumultuous gubernatorial race, so Cooper may want to focus on his home state.
Mark Kelly
Pros:
Kelly won statewide elections for the U.S. Senate seat in Arizona in 2020 in a special election to finish the term of the late Sen. John McCain and for a full term in 2022. He could give Democrats a boost in the crucial battleground state as VP nominee.
He has a background in military service as a naval aviator and as a former astronaut, giving him a platform to attack former President Donald Trump on claims that Trump has mocked veterans.
Kelly is the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head during a 2011 mass casualty event at a Tucson grocery store. Their story could prove powerful as gun violence takes center stage in the 2024 election.
Cons:
Kelly is relatively unvetted on the national stage and is not well known beyond his state.
He has served in the U.S. Senate only since 2020 and is among the least-experienced politicians being considered for the VP nomination.
Swing state Arizona would hold a special election to fill his Senate seat if Kelly is picked and Democrats win the White House in November.
J.B. Pritzker
Pros:
His progressive record as governor of Illinois, including proposals for a $15 an hour minimum wage and legalizing recreational marijuana, could appeal to the Democratic Party’s left flank.
Pritzker is heir to his family's Hyatt Hotel chain and has an estimated net worth of more than $3 billion.
One of the most outspoken Trump critics in the Democratic Party, Pritzker isn’t shy about taking on the former president and would be expected to perform well in a debate against Vance.
Cons:
At 59, Pritzker is the same age as Harris and could struggle to reach out to younger generations of voters.
Pritzker faced controversy in 2018 for removing toilets from his luxury home in Chicago to lower his property taxes.
Illinois is not considered a battleground state, so picking Pritzker would not help Harris carry a swing state.
Cedric Richmond
Pros:
Richmond is a Democratic loyalist who worked in the Biden White House and chaired his campaign.
He has strong ties to Capitol Hill from his tenure as a congressman, which sets him apart from the governors on the list. Every vice president since 1977 has served in Congress first.
He knows Harris well from his time leading the Congressional Black Caucus and as co-chair of the Biden transition team.
Cons:
Richmond does not have a large following beyond Washington, D.C.
He does not hail from a swing state and would not bring a new constituency of voters to the Democratic ticket.
Richmond has served in public office since 2000 and has no military or private industry experience. His current role at the DNC could spur rhetoric from the Trump campaign that he is part of the Washington swamp.
Josh Shapiro
Pros:
Shapiro has the highest gubernatorial rating of any Pennsylvania governor in decades, and he could prove to be important in delivering an electoral victory for Democrats in the must-win swing state.
The 51-year-old has gained national name recognition for his quick response to the 2023 I-95 overpass collapse and, more recently, his leadership after the attempted assassination of Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
His experience as the governor of a Rust Belt state and calls for unity after the Trump rally shooting may help Democrats counter Republican messaging that the party is divisive.
Cons:
Shapiro has led Pennsylvania for two years and is politically inexperienced on the national stage.
Democrats risk the chance that a Republican could take control of the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion if he is picked and goes on to win the White House.
Shapiro isn’t likely to excite the party’s progressive base, especially given his moderate stance on the Israel-Hamas war. Shapiro has not called for a cease-fire but has expressed support for a two-state solution.
Tim Walz
Pros:
Walz has served two terms as Minnesota’s governor and six terms in the U.S. Congress, giving him more nuanced leadership experience than many of the VP contenders.
He has spoken openly about his family’s personal experience with IVF treatments and would be a strong champion for reproductive freedom on the campaign trail.
Walz is a former teacher and pro-union Democrat who can speak to the concerns of blue-collar workers in Midwestern states.
Cons:
Walz is not well known outside Minnesota, and Democrats could struggle to introduce him to the American people with just three months until the general election.
He received backlash for his handling of the riots across Minnesota after the murder of George Floyd and his defense of the protesters who participated.
Walz has remained a steadfast supporter of Israel during its war with Hamas, which might not play well with younger, more progressive voters the Harris campaign is trying to reach.
Gretchen Whitmer
Pros:
Whitmer won reelection in Michigan by double digits in 2022 and has broad support in the crucial Midwestern swing state.
During her two terms as governor, Whitmer has focused on working across the aisle on issues at top of mind for Americans, including job growth, economic investment and infrastructure.
Whitmer is a woman and an outspoken advocate for abortion rights. She could be a strong messenger against Republican rhetoric on reproductive rights, a key issue in the 2024 campaign.
Cons:
A woman has never won the presidency, and a two-woman presidential ticket would be unprecedented. Democrats may fear that it would push some undecided voters away.
Whitmer was accused of hypocrisy during the COVID-19 pandemic for traveling out of state and going to a bar while her administration encouraged people not to travel or eat out. She has since admitted she made a mistake.
Whitmer does not have foreign policy experience or background working with the deeply divided U.S. Congress.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Breaking down Kamala Harris' VP prospective picks' pros and cons
