The candidate has given few clues to her selection other than to say she will travel with her running mate on Aug. 6.
Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, will announce her running mate in the upcoming days from a short list that includes Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
High Stakes Veepstakes: Who’s on Harris’s VP Shortlist and Could Help Her Seize the Presidency?
Vice presidential candidates are often chosen to add something to the ticket that the top candidate lacks, such as geographical or demographic identity or the ability to help win a swing state.
An added factor in this case is that Harris is a latecomer to the race, according to Aaron Dusso, a professor of political science at the University of Indiana–Indianapolis.
“That means voters will be learning a lot about her over the next three months,” Dusso told The Epoch Times. “[They] will be learning about both of them at the same time, and that could make this vice presidential pick more impactful than is normally the case.”
Here’s a look at the top candidates, what they might add to the 2024 Democrat ticket, and what their drawbacks may be.
Josh Shapiro
Some analysts say Shapiro, 51, is the best choice to join the Harris ticket. He won his 2022 gubernatorial election by a 15-point margin, making him a rising star in Democrat politics.
He has a 49 percent approval rating in a state that is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. President Joe Biden won Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes by 0.2 percentage points in 2020.
“[Shapiro] gives them a fighting chance in Pennsylvania, and that’s the ballgame,” political strategist Kevin Sheridan told The Epoch Times.
But that comes with a drawback: Many Democrats see the governor as insufficiently concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
“The downside for Democrats is if he reignites the Hamas wing of the party and they get major protests and violence in Chicago,” Sheridan said, referring to the upcoming party convention in the Windy City.
