Vice President and likely Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris’ campaign began vetting potential running mates Monday night, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Harris’ campaign requested vetting materials from six candidates, according to the outlet’s White House reporter, Mark Thomas. He posted that the candidates for the Democratic ticket who have been approached are Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
The campaign’s reported shortlist excludes one notable name that was floated as a potential partner for the Vice President. Democrat Kentucky governor Andy Beshear told CNN he is not undergoing vetting at this time, according to Thomas. The governor’s ability to win in this ruby-red state twice and potential midwestern appeal made him seem like a prime candidate, but it does not appear that the Harris campaign will tap him. Beshear won his first election in 2019 by .4% and expanded his margin of victory to 5% during his 2023 reelection campaign. (FLASHBACK: Kamala Harris Repeatedly Lied To America About Biden’s Cognitive Decline)
Harris’ campaign has requested vetting materials from potential VPs, including Cooper (NC), Kelly (AZ), Shapiro (PA), Whitmer (MI), Walz (MN) + Pritzker (IL), according to a person familiar. Beshear told CNN he hasn’t been asked to submit info at this point.
— Ken Thomas (@KThomasDC) July 23, 2024
There is a key theme among the candidates: governors from the Midwest and Sunbelt. Kelly is the only non-governor on the list but is from Arizona, a key Sunbelt swing state.
It was reported by The Hill before Biden dropped out that Whitmer and Democrat California Governor Gavin Newsom, two Democratic stars, were not interested in serving as the party’s Vice Presidential nominee on a Harris-led ticket, according to a source familiar with the potential candidates. This new report could signal a change in tone from Whitmer’s camp, but the vetting could also be a long-shot play by the Harris campaign to pull in the governor and her home state’s 15 electoral votes. Shapiro and Kelly are currently believed to be leading the race for the nod, according to ABC News.
