Who will be Kamala Harris’ running mate?

WASHINGTON (TND) — Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee, is narrowing down her list for a running mate in the Nov. 5 election against former President Donald Trump, seeking to give Democrats a boost after the president withdrew from the race and boost their chances.

Harris had more than 100 days before the election to campaign as a candidate and choose someone to run alongside her. President Joe Biden had been trailing for weeks amid voter frustrations over the economy, inflation and the border. But his poor performance in the first debate doomed his candidacy.

Harris would have to choose from a handful of candidates to shore up support among swing voters in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Arizona, which will determine who wins the Electoral College and the presidency.

Two of the leading contenders to be her vice presidential nominee withdrew from consideration, Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. Whitmer said she was committed to finishing out the remainder of her term as Michigan’s governor, and Cooper said in a statement Monday that it was not the right time for him to join a national ticket.

The Democratic Party will hold a virtual vote to select its new nominee ahead of its convention next month in Chicago. Harris does not have to choose a nominee for the virtual vote, but must have a selection by Aug. 7 to meet Ohio’s voting deadline in the upcoming election, giving her just over a week to announce a decision.

The candidates being considered for Harris’ running mate:

ARIZONA SEN. MARK KELLY

Veteran and former astronaut Mark Kelly is serving his first full term in the Senate and has outperformed other Democrats in state elections since first running in 2020. He has not directly said he would run for the No. 2 position under Harris, but he has not ruled it out either.

“This is not about me,” Kelly told reporters last week. “But always, always when I’ve had the opportunity to serve, I think it’s very important to do so.”

Kelly would help Harris deal with attacks on immigration and the border, which have been a central focus of the Trump campaign. He has frequently called for the administration to take a more restrictive approach to curbing illegal border crossings, while also being a reliable Democratic vote in the Senate.

Some Democrats from border states have openly called for Kelly to be Harris’ running mate, given his insight into border issues and his credibility to address them.

Arizona was crucial to Biden’s 2020 White House victory, but it has increasingly looked like it could swing back to the Republicans in the 2024 election. Kelly, who won statewide in 2020 and 2022, could return the state and its 11 Electoral College votes to swing status.

GOVERNOR OF MINNESOTA TIM WALZ

The Minnesota governor has emerged as a top surrogate and viral clip-maker for the Harris campaign, winning the support of some rural Democrats in tough re-election battles. He’s been on a blitz of public appearances, interviews and viral moments that have helped shape the Democratic message against Trump and Vance.

During a “White Dudes for Harris” fundraiser on Zoom on Monday night, he offered up another viral clip that further cemented his position as a potential running mate.

“How many times in a hundred days can you change the course of the world? How many times in a hundred days can you do something that affects generations after you?” Walz asked. “And how many times in the world do you make that son of a bitch wake up and know that a black woman beat him up and sent him down the road?”

Walz is a two-term governor of a Democratic-leaning Midwestern state who also has a background in the military and public school teachers. While Minnesota hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate in decades and would likely support Harris in November, he could help shore up other “blue wall” Midwestern states.

In addition to his personal background, he has also been praised for parlaying a one-seat majority in the Minnesota State Senate into a wave of progressive policy achievements: enshrining abortion rights, legalizing recreational marijuana, restricting access to guns, providing free school meals for students through 12th grade, and raising taxes on corporations and high-income earners.

GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO OF PENNSLVANIA

First-time Gov. Josh Shapiro is a leading contender for the vice presidential nomination with high approval ratings in a crucial, hard-fought state, earning the most votes in the history of the state’s 2022 gubernatorial election. A Fox News poll released Friday found him with a 61% approval rating in the politically divided Keystone State.

His popularity and track record of winning votes in Pennsylvania may be his greatest asset, as Harris’s road to Electoral College victory becomes much harder without him. When asked if he would be vetted to be Harris’ running mate, he dodged the question, saying it would have to be directed at her campaign.

Shapiro attended a rally for Harris, along with Whitmer, in Pennsylvania on Monday, where he voiced his displeasure with Trump and his policy agenda if he wins a second term.

“I have a message for Donald Trump: Stop talking about America,” Shapiro said Monday. “This is the greatest country on earth. Let’s start acting like it.”

One potential stumbling block to Shapiro’s addition to the ticket is his support for private school vouchers. The teachers unions that backed Harris are fiercely opposed to the issue, and it’s not traditionally a Democratic position in the fight over public school funding.