All eyes are on Vice President Kamala Harris, who has secured the Democratic nomination for president, as she mulls her most important decision yet – picking her running mate.
Harris is expected to announce her vice presidential selection on Tuesday, before a public appearance scheduled with that running mate in the evening.
Potential names have been tossed around since President Joe Biden exited the 2024 race and endorsed Harris a couple of weeks ago.
It has not been clear if Harris already made her pick, but a handful of names have been identified as being on her shortlist.
Harris has narrowed it down to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, three sources told Reuters on Monday.
Here are the frontrunners for the position, which include four governors, a Biden administration cabinet secretary and a senator:
Shapiro, 51, serves as the governor of Pennsylvania, which is a critical swing state for Harris and ex-President and Republican nominee Donald Trump with 19 electoral votes.
If elected, Shapiro would be the first Jewish vice president in American history. That would compliment Harris making history as the first black woman and Asian American president in the hypothetical win.
Shapiro has shown strong support for Israel, which could cost Harris votes from progressives backing Palestine. Meanwhile, he could also draw in moderate voters who may be leaning toward Trump.
Harris kicking off the battleground states tour in Pennsylvania set off speculation that Shapiro could be her selection.
Walz, 60, prior to serving governor of Minnesota was a US Army National Guard member and teacher.
He drew headlines recently by branding Trump and his vice presidential running mate, JD Vance, as ‘weird’. The Harris campaign adopted the phrase and it went viral.
Walz previously served in Congress representing a district that leaned Republican, meaning he may be able to carry white rural voters, a demographic that Trump traditionally has done better with.
Minnesota is a blue state, but it is close to the swing states of Wisconsin and Michigan.
Senator Mark Kelly, 60, of Arizona won two close races in the swing state. He has also shown an ability to be a top fundraiser.
Kelly on Sunday made a post on X (formerly Twitter) that suggested he was out of the shortlist.
‘My background is a bit different than most politicians. I spent my life serving in the Navy and at NASA, where the mission always comes first. Now, my mission is serving Arizonans,’ he wrote on the social media platform.
But less than an hour later, Kelly deleted it and posted instead: ‘Whether it was from my time in the Navy and at NASA, serving in the United States Senate, or visiting our troops overseas: I’ve learned that when your country asks you to serve, you always answer the call.’
Biden’s transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, 42, has had a quick ascent in politics, from mayor of the small city of South Bend, Indiana, to serving as a Cabinet member.
As transportation secretary since February 2021, Buttigieg has worked to increase safety on the road and address supply chain problems.
Buttigieg on Friday told ABC News’ The View that he was ‘flattered’ to be mentioned as a running mate contender and that Harris is ‘going to make the choice that is right for her, the ticket and the campaign, but most of all for the country’.
He pursued the 2020 Democratic nomination, debating against Harris and Biden.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, 46, turned heads as headlined a Harris private campaign fundraiser in Chicago on Monday.
He recently raised money for Democrats in Georgia, Iowa and Oklahoma.
Among Democratic governors, Beshear has the highest approval rating at 67% among Kentucky voters, according to a Morning Consult poll released on July 24.
However, Beshear was reportedly not one of three candidates who met with Harris for interviews in Washington, DC, on Sunday.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, 59, won endorsements from union members, businesses and abortion rights organizations.
Pritzker reportedly had two virtual interviews with Harris’ vetting team over the past week.
His family owns the Hyatt hotel chain, making him a billionaire heir.
Pritzker has funded Think Big America, which has spent millions of dollars in states including Arizona, Nevada, Florida and Montana to fight for reproductive rights.
Harris is expected to appear with her vice presidential pick at Temple University in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening.
The campaign rally will reportedly spark momentum for a five-day tour of seven cities in battleground states.
Stops will be made at historically black universities, other college campuses, union halls and restaurants, according to a Harris campaign official.
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