Vice President Kamala Harris launched her presidential bid Sunday as the heir apparent for the Democratic nomination, leaving her with a critical decision to make at an unprecedented, historic juncture in American politics: Who should she choose as her running mate?
Her top options include names that have been floated over the past few weeks to replace the ailing President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. Here they are.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
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Before becoming the top executive in a crucial swing state last year, Shapiro, 51, was a Capitol Hill aide before becoming a member of the state House.
As Pennsylvania’s attorney general, he became known for being “tough on crime,” earning criticism from progressives. When he ran for governor in 2022, he did so on a platform of protecting abortion rights and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. He won by nearly 15 points.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, has been a vocal supporter of Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza. He became one of the party’s top leaders to endorse Harris Sunday evening, mentioning they’re both prosecutors and have known each other for almost two decades.
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly
Kelly, 60, a combat veteran and former astronaut, assumed office in 2020 and won re-election in 2022, making him a Democratic unicorn who has twice carried a red border state. In 2011, his wife, then-Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), nearly died when she was shot in the head during a mass shooting at a constituent event in Tucson.
He has at times criticized the Biden administration’s border policy while advocating other more progressive priorities. Kelly, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, quickly endorsed Harris on Sunday after Biden announced his stunning withdrawal from the race and endorsed Harris.
He and his wife have become outspoken critics of the Alabama Supreme Court, sharing their personal crusade to try to have children through in vitro fertilization.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
Beshear, 46, ousted Republican Gov. Matt Bevin in 2019 by less than 1 percentage point in one of the most conservative states in the nation. Last year, he secured re-election by a wider margin, proving Democrats can win in Trump country.
The son of former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, he practiced law before becoming the state’s attorney general, attacking Big Pharma for contributing to the opioid epidemic.
One of his first acts as governor was to restore the rights of more than 100,000 convicted felons after making abortion rights a centerpiece of his gubernatorial campaign.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (UPDATE: Cooper took himelf out of the running on July 29)
Cooper, 67, is another leader of a swing state high on Harris’s shortlist, having hosted two campaign events for Harris over the past week. He also endorsed Harris for president on Sunday.
The son of a tobacco farmer, Cooper has served in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly and spent 16 years serving as the state’s attorney general before ousting the sitting Republican governor in 2016. In 2022, he chaired the Democratic Governors Association in a banner year for his party’s gubernatorial candidates.
Now, in his last year in office, his presence on the ticket could help the party win back a swing state that has been trending red.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Whitmer, 52, said Sunday that she would not be challenging Harris for the presidency, but she stopped short of endorsing her.
In a 2013 debate about abortion rights, a signature campaign issue for Democrats, she revealed she was raped in college. She made history in 2011 as the first woman elected Democratic Leader in the state Senate.
Whitmer briefly served as a prosecutor before becoming governor two years later. In 2020, she gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union, around the same time the FBI learned of a kidnapping plot against her.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
Walz, 60, served in the Army for two dozen years, taught high school and represented Minnesota in the House before he was elected governor in 2019.
Walz’s first term was dominated by his response to COVID-19 and police reform following the murder of George Floyd.
After his reelection in 2022, and with his party in full control of the state government, he helped lead what his local paper called “one of the most consequential sessions in state history” on abortion rights, cannabis, gun control, paid work leave, drivers’ licenses for unauthorized immigrants and free lunch and breakfast for school children.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
Pritzker, 59, was born in California into one of America's wealthiest families. He got his start in venture capital before pivoting to politics. He was a co-chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign and later took heat for making racist comments in a recorded phone call with the then-governor.
In 2018, he ran for governor, self-funding his bid to the tune of nearly $172 million. He legalized cannabis possession in the state, banned assault weapons, and easily won re-election in 2022.
Pritzker is a loyal Biden surrogate and presides over the state where the Democratic National Convention will be held next month.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom
Newsom, 56, who also quickly endorsed Harris for president on Sunday, has big political aspirations but likely won’t work as a veep pick, given that the Constitution doesn’t allow both members of a presidential ticket to come from the same state.
But the telegenic governor has upsides as a former San Francisco mayor who advocated for same-sex marriage two decades ago.
He became the state’s lieutenant governor in 2011 before securing the top post in 2019. He also survived a recall attempt after attending a party at French Laundry during the COVID lockdown days.
Newsom has been one of the president’s fiercest surrogates, raising his own political standing in the process. Late last year, he challenged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to a debate, and he defended Biden after last month’s shaky performance. Newsom endorsed Harris Sunday evening.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore
Moore, 45, a rising star and former author with little political experience before he was elected governor in 2022, was a Rhodes Scholar, White House Fellow with the State Department and a Manhattan investment banker. He led several companies while writing books, including his most famous, The Other Wes Moore. He also served in the U.S. Army.
Moore became only the third Black governor elected in U.S. history. He built his profile on reclaiming patriotism, focusing on his state’s infrastructure, and pardoning tens of thousands of people convicted on marijuana charges. He has sold himself as a moderate Democrat.
Moore is expected to endorse Harris on Monday morning.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner
Warner, 69, was another Democrat who quickly endorsed Harris on Sunday. The two are friends who became an internet sensation during the lockdown days of the COVID pandemic with their tuna melt v. tuna fish sandwich shtick.
One of the wealthiest senators in the country, Warner made his fortune in tech while dabbling in politics. In 2002, Warner became the state’s governor after running as a moderate.
Many expected Warner to run for president in 2008, but he opted against a bid. Instead, he ran for his current seat, which he easily won. He is now chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Reports after the presidential debate suggested he was making efforts to push Biden off the ticket.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Buttigieg, 42, burst onto the national scene with his 2020 presidential bid, when the mayor of little-known South Bend, Indiana, attracted attention for his youthful energy and wonky policy talk. He also endorsed Harris Sunday evening.
Another Rhodes Scholar, Buttigieg served in the Navy in Afghanistan. He worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company before launching a failed bid for Indiana state treasurer and then a successful one to become “Mayor Pete.”
When Biden appointed him secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg became the first openly gay Cabinet member in U.S. history. He has overseen a series of transportation disasters, including the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
