With a week to go, politics watchers are eagerly awaiting the news— Who will be Kamala Harris’ pick for vice president?
Yesterday, we learned that well-liked Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has not even been vetted in the race, despite many believing that she was near the top of Kamala Harris’ list of potential running mates.
Now, North Carolina’s governor Ray Cooper has bowed out, preferring instead to throw his hat in the ring for a Senate seat in 2026 following his tenure as NC’s chief executive.
So, who’s left?
Identity politics aside, the reality of where the holes are on the Electoral College map coupled with the demographics of Donald Trump’s base, has led many to believe that what Harris needs on her ticket to win is a man, preferably from humble beginnings, who can speak plainly, and resonate with working class and rural voters. Based on Harris’ strengths and weaknesses, one area seen to need bolstering is her presumed lack of foreign policy experience. This perceived hole can be filled by a running mate with solid military experience, and by “solid” I mean experience that involves strategy and grit, more so than J.D. Vance’s military role of journalist provides.
Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania is rumored to be in the top three, as well as U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (AZ) and Governor Andy Beshear (KY). Shapiro took the lead early in the contest, not only because of his exemplary oratory skills and ability to cross the divide on policy between political parties, but he is a Rust Belt governor that received votes from Trump supporters. Few disagree that in order to win Harris must maintain all, or at least some, of the Rust Belt’s “blue wall” that Biden snatched away from Trump in 2020.
Kentucky’s Andy Beshear is an incredibly popular southern governor who could quickly become a thorn in the side of faux-hillbilly J.D. Vance. But, of those three, Mark Kelly stands out mostly because he not only won John McCain’s “purple” senate seat, but because he was an astronaut who served in the military, a golden asset to a presidential candidate whose foreign policy experience is in question.
There are two more potential vice presidential candidates who are rumored to be in the running: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and U.S. Senator Gary Peters from Michigan. Over the past week, the buzz around Tim Walz has grown louder, but why? People like his down-to-Earth, “folksy” yet effective communication style made clear during recent interviews on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. Here he is speaking to Minnesota voters for Kamala Harris over the weekend:
Tim Walz, like Sen. Mark Kelly, has military experience (24+ years National Guard) and what some see as a realistic approach to the issue of gun control, evident here in a brief speech to Minnesota constituents:
Tim Walz also has good relations with labor which will be essential to mount a winnable fight against the Republican ticket. The other addition to the pool of candidates, and a possible surprise pick, is U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan. He brings both strong labor ties and solid military experience to the ticket having served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve and earning the designation of Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist.
Other Electoral College paths do exist through the sunbelt states of Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada that Mark Kelly may be able to help secure, but winning at least one or two states in the Rust Belt needs to happen for Harris to clinch the White House. In a race too important to lose, who will be the best pick?
