Harris’s top potential running mates: Pros and cons

Vice President Harris and her campaign are weighing a number of potential running mates as Democrats shift into general election mode with Harris at the helm.

While Harris has been able to massively excite the Democratic base and seemingly narrow the gap with Trump in the three days since President Biden dropped out of the race, she will need to pick a running mate that will complement her on the party’s ticket.

Harris has a long list of national Democrats to choose from and has sent vetting materials to an array of Democratic governors, one senator and two Biden administration officials. 

The Democratic National Committee expects Harris to choose a running mate by Aug. 7. 

Here are the pros and cons of Harris’s top potential running mates:

Andy Beshear

Pros

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is a political unicorn of sorts, winning election and reelection in a deep-red state. Beshear’s statewide victories in the state underscore his ability to appeal to voters outside of the Democratic fold, particularly in rural areas. 

“The idea that he wins such a red state so hands down, I think also does give a lot of comfort to Democrats when they’re talking about making sure to win the suburbs [and] trying to bring back some of the white working class into our column,” Democratic strategist Jon Reinish said. 

And while Beshear has clearly been able to appeal to moderate voters and even some conservatives, the governor has enacted a number of policies popular with Democrats. He expanded health care services in the state and has received praise from activists for restoring voting rights for 180,000 people who had been convicted of felonies. 

Cons

But strategists say Beshear would have a lot of work to do to build his national name ID. Additionally, some point out his connection to his father, former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D), could have given him a leg up in Kentucky but may not have the same impact nationally.

“You already have to reintroduce Kamala, and so now you’ve got to introduce somebody who no one has never heard of,” one Democratic strategist said. 

Roy Cooper

Pros

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) close relationship with Harris contributed to the speculation that he’s being considered as her running mate, with both Democrats serving as attorneys general of their respective states around the same time. 

“My understanding is that Harris and Cooper are really close,” said Mike Nellis, a former senior adviser to Harris. “She really likes him, from what I know.”

Cooper could help Harris underscore the contrast she’s trying to draw with Trump as she leans into her history as a prosecutor running against a former president’s convicted of felonies.

Cooper also has experience winning as a Democrat in what has been considered a red-leaning state. But as governor, he has enacted policies popular with the political left, including expanding Medicaid and repealing H.B. 2, more commonly known as the “bathroom bill” that required that people use bathrooms that correspond to their sex given at birth while in government facilities.

Cons

But if Cooper were to leave the state to campaign across the country, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) would become the acting governor, according to the North Carolina Constitution. Some Democrats say that worries them, given the ultraconservative record of Robinson, who is running for governor.

“I’m sure that’s something they are weighing carefully too,” Reinish said.

Mark Kelly

Pros

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D) has quickly become one of the top names being considered for Harris’s running mate. Democrats point to his compelling story as an astronaut and Navy pilot. Kelly is also married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot during an event with constituents in 2011. Kelly and Giffords have since been vocal advocates for gun control, an issue that has galvanized key constituencies. 

Democrats also point to Kelly’s electoral success in Arizona, winning statewide elections in the swing state in 2020 and 2022; the Grand Canyon State stands to be a critical state in November. Harris’s campaign has said that in addition to the Blue Wall States of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, it hopes to focus on Sun Belt states including Arizona. 

“There’s a lot of good evidence that Harris’s best path to victory is not through the Midwest, it’s through the Sun Belt,” Nellis said. “I think Kelly plays pretty well there.” 

Kelly’s supporters note that he could provide a strong defense against Republican attacks on Harris and Democrats over the handling of the southern border. While critics have pointed to Harris’s weakness on the issue, Kelly has long called on more resources to be deployed to Arizona to deal with the influx of migrants crossing the border. 

Cons

But choosing Kelly also comes with risks for Senate Democrats. If he were elected vice president, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) would have to appoint Kelly’s replacement. That appointee would have to run in a special election to serve out the rest of Kelly’s term, which is what Kelly did in 2020. That would leave Arizona with Senate races every even year through 2030. 

Kelly could also run into some trouble with the labor movement, a key voting block for Democrats. Kelly did not back the PRO Act, which would make forming unions and reaching labor contracts easier. 

However, Kelly said Wednesday that he would support the PRO Act if it hit the Senate floor today. 

Josh Shapiro

Pros

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) became a national name in 2022 when he won the governorship in an election year that was predicted to see a national red wave for Republicans.

The then-Pennsylvania attorney general handily defeated state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R) by nearly 15 points. Throughout his campaign, Shapiro not only made a concerted effort to campaign in Pennsylvania’s traditional Democratic urban and suburban strongholds but worked to appeal to the state’s rural communities as well. 

“He beat the ultimate MAGA candidate,” Reinish said. “He knows what it takes to combat extremism. He knows what it takes to bring a lot of people in and combat a MAGA extremist.” 

The race marked Shapiro’s third statewide run in the must-win presidential state, which boasts 20 Electoral College votes. Democrats and even a number of Republicans have praised Shapiro as being political savvy and charismatic. As governor, Shapiro has been forced to respond to a number of crises, including the train derailment in nearby East Palestine, Ohio; the I-95 bridge collapse; and, most recently, the assassination attempt against former President Trump in Butler, Pa. 

Cons

However, Shapiro is still relatively new to the national scene, having only been governor for two years. Critics point out Shapiro’s move to back a GOP-led effort to deliver $100 million in school vouchers to families for private school tuition, a position the governor would later back off.

Additionally, some question whether Shapiro’s staunch support of Israel throughout the Israel-Hamas war could turn off progressive voters, many of whom threatened to stay home when Biden was at the top of the ticket over the president’s pro-Israel stance.

But others say Shapiro, like Harris, would be a historic pick in that he would be the first Jewish vice president if elected.

“Especially when the Jewish community has gone through such a terrible time since Oct. 7, rising antisemitism, rising extremism, the idea of having somebody Jewish, one of our own at the top of the ticket would just be an extraordinary milestone,” Reinish said.