Who is in the running to be Kamala Harris' vice president?

Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the necessary delegates to become the Democratic nominee for president, but she has one big job left: picking a vice presidential running mate. As the countdown to the 2024 election passes the 100-day mark, the Harris campaign has reportedly been vetting numerous potential VP contenders. 

Some of these names are prominent figures on the national stage, while others, such as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, have already ruled themselves out. But with the Democratic National Convention's virtual roll call days away, Americans will likely know Harris' choice sooner rather than later. 

What did the commentators say? 

Each of the known contenders has a "distinct set of political assets. Some have geographic ties that may help with the Electoral College math. Some are strong debaters ready to make Democrats' case," said Katie Glueck at The New York Times. Harris' reported shortlist is also "stacked with contenders who can raise big money," said Brian Schwartz at CNBC. 

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

This shortlist appears down to "three elected officials with nationwide appeal: Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz," said Nancy Cook, Josh Wingrove, and Jenny Leonard at Bloomberg. All three of these contenders are "white, male politicians with centrist leanings who could help Harris appeal to swing-state voters, as well as business leaders and donors." They also have a "track record of attacking Trump and his firebrand style of politics."

When it comes to Democratic politicians on Capitol Hill, many think Harris "should pick Sen. Mark Kelly as her vice president, believing he would offset her biggest current weakness: the border," said Politico. Kelly has "pushed the Biden administration to take a tougher position on border security and aligned more closely with other border-state Democrats." However, he sometimes struggles to "connect with voters on the ground or command attention on the stump," and has "never been considered among the top tier of Democratic orators." 

If Kelly were picked, Arizona would hold a special Senate election in 2026, and "in a state like Arizona, a Democratic victory would be far from assured," said Timothy Noah at The New Republic. As a result of the Democrat's thin Senate majority, there is "no current senator [who] should be under consideration for the Democratic vice presidential slot," especially because there is "little evidence that vice presidential candidates help with winning their home states."

Walz, meanwhile, is a "popular two-term Midwestern governor, former congressman, military veteran and former public school teacher" whose "canny folksiness is just one of the attributes that make him uniquely suited to be the Democratic vice presidential nominee," said Adam Edelman at NBC News. Picking Walz could also create "broad appeal across the critical nearby 'blue wall' states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — something few other VP contenders can offer." 

Many pundits feel that Shapiro is at the top of Harris' list. In particular, Republicans "see Shapiro, a first-term governor from a critical state, as Harris' strongest vice presidential contender," said Julia Terruso at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Beyond popularity in his own state, Shapiro "could pull in more moderate voters and even some Republicans, which he has done in all three of his previous statewide campaigns." Shapiro "would be the one that makes it the most challenging" for Republicans, Bill Bretz, the GOP chair in Pennsylvania's Westmoreland County, said to the Inquirer. A new Bloomberg / Morning Consult poll also shows Pennsylvania is the battleground state where Harris trails Trump the most, and picking the Keystone State governor could help close that gap.

But "there are demerits to Shapiro, too," Emily Tamkin said at Slate. Shapiro, who is Jewish, is strongly pro-Israel, and this stance "could very well hurt Democratic unity and suppress voter turnout on the political left." It may also "signify an embrace of an understanding of antisemitism that some American Jews contest, issuing a ruling on American Jewish political identity that many would chafe against."

What next? 

Other names are also being vetted for VP by the Harris campaign. This includes Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was also in the running, but like Cooper, took herself out of contention.

It has already been reported that Harris is planning to campaign with her vice presidential pick in the first full week of August, following the Democratic National Committee beginning its virtual roll call on Aug. 1. This means it's all but certain that Harris' choice to accompany her on the ticket is days away.