Who would Kamala Harris choose as her vice president?

Beshear is a two-term Democratic governor of Kentucky, a solidly Republican state. When he first won in 2019, his victory was seen as a fluke; Trump had won the state by about 30 percentage points three years earlier. But Beshear easily won re-election last year. He has emphasized the “public interest” and worked with Republicans on legislation including legalization of medical marijuana, and has talked often about his Christian faith. It’s a message that could be particularly appealing to Democrats trying to win over moderate white voters in the suburbs. Of the candidates on the ballot, Beshear is perhaps the least known outside his state, though the attention he would receive if Ms. Harris were to reach out to him would redress that.

The Arizona senator rose to national prominence after his wife, Representative Gabby Giffords, survived an assassination attempt in 2011. Kelly, a Navy veteran and former astronaut, began campaigning for stricter gun control and eventually won his Senate seat in 2020. He has cultivated an image as a moderate in Arizona, building a coalition that relied on white suburban women and young Hispanic voters who were key in delivering the state to Joe Biden in 2020. That kind of coalition is likely to be essential if Democrats hope to retain the White House. And Kelly could potentially help Ms. Harris in other swing states.

Pritzker has been governor of Illinois since 2019. It’s not a state that matters, but he’s a billionaire and could pour his own money into the campaign. That’s no small feat, given that Trump has enjoyed an avalanche of financial support in recent months. Pritzker — who would be the second Jewish running mate on a major party’s slate in history if elected — has drawn attention from Democrats with his attacks on Trump. “Do they really want a president who’s a felon facing prison time?” Pritzker said in June.

Shapiro was elected governor in 2022 after serving as the state’s attorney general. Pennsylvania is a must-win state for his party, and Shapiro’s popularity among Democrats soared after he overwhelmed his Republican opponent for governor, Doug Mastriano, to win 56 percent of the vote. As anti-Israel demonstrations spread to college campuses this fall, Shapiro — who is also Jewish — decried the rise in anti-Semitism following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. He also won praise for overseeing swift repairs after a bridge collapse on Interstate 95 last year. For Democrats, Shapiro’s biggest draw is likely the political muscle he has demonstrated in this critical state, reflected in impressive approval ratings.

Walz is a former member of Congress and retired educator who has been governor of Minnesota since 2019. As governor, he sent the National Guard to Minneapolis to quell riots following the police killing of George Floyd. While in Congress, he was the rare Democrat to represent a rural part of the state, suggesting he had the kind of political appeal that might appeal to Harris. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and heads the Democratic Governors Association.