Vice President Kamala Harris is set to announce her running mate for the upcoming 2024 election cycle by Tuesday, with four leading candidates competing for a spot on the ticket.
Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and Tim Walz of Minnesota, along with Senator Mark Kelley, D-Ariz., have emerged as key contenders for the vice presidency in a prospective Harris administration. Each candidate presents unique political advantages for Harris’ electoral campaign, yet they must also navigate potential challenges that could hinder their inclusion in the ticket.
Harris secured her party’s 2024 presidential nomination on Friday, receiving a majority of votes from convention delegates, as reported by the DNC. Her ascent in the election landscape followed President Biden’s withdrawal from the race last month amid rising concerns regarding his health and mental fitness.
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Vice President Kamala Harris has not held a press conference since being named the presumptive Democratic nominee. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Gov. Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania is poised to be a critical battleground this election cycle, having previously voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and then President Biden in 2020. Shapiro, who has been at the helm of the state since last year, could enhance Harris’ chances of securing its vital 19 electoral votes.
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Gov. Josh Shapiro is seen during the Celebration of Freedom ceremony on July 4, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
Shapiro has previously held positions as the state’s attorney general and in various local political roles in Montgomery County. He largely supports Democratic policies while presenting himself as a moderate in the Rust Belt state, which features major cities like the Democratic bastion of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
As the state’s third Jewish governor, Shapiro has encountered pushback from protesters regarding his positions on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict that commenced on Oct. 7.
This year, he criticized universities for their inability to ensure student safety amid intense campus protests against Israel and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict.
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“What we’re witnessing at Columbia and on various campuses across America, where universities fail to guarantee the safety and security of their students, is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro remarked to Politico in April.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro address the press during a visit to the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, July 13, 2024. (Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images)
“If universities cannot guarantee the safety and security of students based on their policies, then it falls upon local leaders—mayors, governors, or town councilors—to intervene and enforce the law,” he added.
Since the onset of the conflict, protests against Israel have surged on U.S. campuses, amplifying instances of antisemitism, with Jewish students expressing feelings of insecurity.
Anti-Israel protesters rally outside New York University on May 3, 2024. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
At Columbia University, for instance, protesters took over the Hamilton Hall building, while institutions like UCLA, Harvard, and Yale grappled with growing encampments as demonstrators demanded their elite schools divest from Israel. The University of Pennsylvania also faced significant protests against Israel, causing Shapiro to criticize the then-president, Liz Magill, for not denouncing genocide against Jews during Congressional testimony. Magill resigned in December amid backlash regarding her approach to campus antisemitism.
The Philadelphia Inquirer also highlighted an article Shapiro wrote for his college newspaper in 1993, stating that peace “will never come” to the Middle East due to Palestinians being “too battle-minded” to coexist with Israel.
“Looking at history, peace between Arabs and Israelis is virtually unattainable,” Shapiro wrote as a student at the University of Rochester.
Anti-Israel activists have labeled Shapiro “Genocide Josh,” contending that he is overly supportive of Israel, which they claim is perpetrating genocide against Gaza’s residents amid the ongoing conflict. Some Democrats have remarked that left-wing voters with anti-Israel sentiments are singling out Shapiro since he is the only Jewish candidate reportedly at the forefront of Harris’ selection process.
Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a campaign event in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 16, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg)
“There are numerous exceptional choices for the vice presidency. The outstanding Governor of Pennsylvania, @JoshShapiroPA, is among them. Targeting him or applying a double standard regarding the Gaza war is antisemitic and unacceptable. Let’s not go there,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., posted on X.
Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a notable advocate for Israel amid the conflict, has refrained from expressing public support for Shapiro.
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According to a report from Politico, Fetterman’s advisors had discussions with Harris’ team, expressing his concerns about Shapiro potentially sharing the ticket, particularly alluding to their experiences on Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons, which evaluates clemency for offenders. Fetterman reportedly aimed to revitalize the board, offering second chances, while Shapiro took a stricter approach, as Politico noted.
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Shapiro has garnered endorsements from prominent Pennsylvania Democrats for a potential partnership with Harris, including longstanding Senator Bob Casey and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, and favorable polls indicate he is well-regarded by voters in his state, potentially giving him an advantage over other reported vice presidential challengers.
Gov. Andy Beshear
The Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, has been in office since 2019 and is perceived as a centrist Democrat, potentially appealing to moderate federal voters.
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Kentucky’s Governor, Andy Beshear, has led the Bluegrass State since 2019. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
However, Kentucky Republicans have quickly criticized Beshear as an unsuitable choice for Harris’ running mate. Kentucky Rep. James Comer slammed Beshear for allegedly trying to “reinvent his image from a wimpy choir boy to a liberal attack dog.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, also from Kentucky, criticized Beshear over the weekend for reportedly leaving the state to meet with Harris, remarking it’s “no surprise for a guy used to having jobs handed to him on a silver platter.” Beshear hails from a political family, as he is the son of former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, who served two terms as governor and one term as attorney general.
Unlike Shapiro, who could potentially secure a vital battleground state for Harris, Beshear’s background in a strongly Republican state may not facilitate Harris’ campaign goals. In 2012, presidential candidate Mitt Romney won Kentucky, followed by Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear during an interview in Versailles, Kentucky, on May 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
At age 46, Beshear’s moderate stance could play in his favor for a vice presidential nomination, yet he’s also contending with criticism from progressive voters over his abortion stance. Following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022, Kentucky effectively banned abortion with few exceptions. While Beshear identifies as pro-choice and campaigned on enhancing abortion access during his re-election, state activists argue that he could do more to expand access.
“Yes, he’s outpacing what a conservative would, and I appreciate that,” stated Tamarra Wieder, the Kentucky state director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. “But I worry about how this record will be perceived on a national level.”
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Simultaneously, Harris has garnered praise from progressives for her commitment to protecting abortion access, vehemently denouncing the leaked Supreme Court decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade and stripped away constitutional rights to abortion.
“How dare they?” Harris proclaimed during a speech for a pro-choice PAC, EMILYs List, shortly after the decision was leaked to Politico in May 2022.
“How dare they dictate what a woman can or cannot do with her own body? How dare they prevent her from defining her own future? How dare they deny women their rights and freedoms?”
In March, she made history as the first sitting president or vice president to visit an abortion provider.
Gov. Tim Walz
Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota has an extensive political career, having served in Congress from 2007 to 2019 before becoming governor. He achieved re-election in 2022.
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Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz speaks during a news conference at the state Capitol on August 16, 2023, in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)
Like Shapiro, Walz could benefit the Harris campaign by boosting voter turnout in the battleground state. His national recognition has surged recently as he was among the first Democrats to refer to Republicans as “weird” in a political insult that has gained traction in the 2024 election cycle.
Nonetheless, Walz has faced criticism regarding his response to COVID-19 and the riots in Minneapolis in 2020, as previously reported by Fox Digital.
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“[H]e’s been a disaster for Minnesota and is the most partisan governor I’ve seen in recent memory,” stated Minnesota GOP Chairman David Hann. “Back to 2020, he failed to stop the riots in Minneapolis, fearing he would alienate his ‘progressive’ base, which supported the riots. It is worth noting that Kamala Harris was fundraising for the rioters.
Critics highlight Walz’s mandate for indoor masking during the pandemic and the establishment of a hotline for reporting violators of COVID-19 mandates, as FOX 9 Minneapolis previously reported.
Sen. Mark Kelly
Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona is perhaps the most recognizable name among Harris’ potential running mates, known for his background as a retired NASA astronaut and as the husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011.
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Senator Mark Kelly on Capitol Hill, September 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Kelly, 60, secured a U.S. Senate seat in the 2020 cycle, marking a historic moment as it was the first time Arizona had two Democratic senators since 1953.
Arizona could be pivotal for the Democrats’ efforts to retain the presidency following Biden’s exit from the 2024 race. Trump won Arizona in 2016, but Biden claimed victory in the state in 2020. Kelly may enhance support for Harris in Arizona, particularly in light of concerns regarding the Biden administration’s handling of the immigration crisis at the border with Mexico.
Senator Mark Kelly and Governor Josh Shapiro (Getty Images)
If Kelly is chosen as Harris’ running mate and they win in November, he would vacate his Senate seat in a swing state, leading to some concerns about a potential Republican gaining ground in a 2026 special election. However, Kelly has dismissed such worries, highlighting the historical success of Democrats in state-level elections.
“Democrats have historically performed well in statewide races in Arizona. We’ve got a strong state party, and I believe we will continue to succeed,” he remarked in a CNN interview.
“I don’t think it’ll be an issue; I believe we have a great slate of other Democrats. This isn’t solely about me,” he added.
Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs would appoint an interim candidate until the 2026 election to fill Kelly’s seat.
Vice President Kamala Harris is anticipated to announce her running mate by Tuesday. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Shortly after Biden’s announcement of his withdrawal from the race, Kelly was initially viewed as Harris’s likely VP pick on prediction platforms tracked by FOX Business, but he has recently been surpassed by Shapiro in those projections.
Harris is expected to reveal her running mate by Tuesday and is reportedly holding meetings with the top contenders at the Naval Observatory on Sunday, with Shapiro, Walz, and Kelly among those included.
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In addition to these four candidates, Harris is also purportedly considering Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for the ticket.
