Democrats are scheduled to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as their 2024 presidential nominee as soon as Thursday, and speculation about her potential running mate continues to boil.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder is now vetting possible running mates on Harris’s behalf, and this week, the veepstakes race is shifting, including a withdrawal by one top contender and the emergence of a new dark horse.
Here’s how Harris’s short list is handling the pressure ahead of the expected deadline of Aug. 7 to announce her pick.
Cooper announced Monday that he had removed himself from the veepstakes vetting process, citing two key concerns.
The two-term governor, who at 67 years old marked Harris’s eldest potential pick, reportedly voiced concerns about his age, a future desire to run for the Senate, and the fact that hitting the campaign trail would allow Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC), an ally of former President Donald Trump, to take over the state’s executive branch in his absence.
Kelly, a popular senator from an important battleground state, remains the favorite to be tapped by Harris in most betting markets.
Some Democrats believe the Army combat veteran and astronaut represents a foil who could potentially balance out Harris’s progressive track record and associated concerns from centrist voters. He talks equally tough on the border and Republican attempts to restrict abortion access, and he has gained national recognition for his longtime work on gun violence reform following the attempted assassination of his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords.
The popular Pennsylvania governor has only been in his current office for one year, but he has never lost an election in a political career spanning more than a decade and holds relatively strong approval among Republicans in his state.
Nevertheless, Shapiro’s vocal defense of Israel’s war in Gaza and his condemnation of domestic pro-Palestinian protesters have raised concerns about how his selection could negatively affect Harris with Arab and Muslim American voters in Michigan and progressives who are critical of the administration’s Gaza policies. He has also been criticized by some Pennsylvania politicians on both sides of the aisle for his silence regarding a sexual assault allegation and the subsequent departure of a close aide last year.
Walz continues to climb steadily in the betting markets based on a similar appeal to Kelly, albeit from a state with a slimmer Electoral College impact.
Before being elected governor, Walz spent 12 years representing a traditionally Republican House district after a 24-year career in education and the Army National Guard. Insiders believe he brings a sense of Midwest “grit” that could counterbalance perceptions of Harris’s coastal roots.
Multiple reports on Monday suggested that Peters, a relatively low-profile junior senator, is not only being considered as Harris’s running mate but is actively working behind the scenes to secure the job.
Peters reportedly has a number of influential labor groups speaking to the Harris campaign on his behalf, and he offers a similar potential upside in Michigan that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) held before she removed herself from consideration.
Buttigieg, himself a 2020 candidate for president, has been a company man at the Department of Transportation since joining the Biden administration in 2021, and that extends to serving as a top, unofficial 2024 surrogate both in person and on TV.
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He’s jointly associated with the progress and problems President Joe Biden and Harris have encountered over the past three years, but his selection as the first openly gay running mate in American history might offer Harris another leg up with progressive voters ahead of November.