With only 28 days until the Democratic National Convention begins in Chicago, where Kamala Harris is expected to be officially nominated, the scramble to find the Democrats' vice presidential nominee has begun.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly are among the Democrats who have been asked to submit information about their finances, family histories and other personal details, two people familiar with the process told CNN's Jeff Zeleny. They are part of a group that includes about 10 names, nearly all of whom are elected officials.
Here are some potential candidates who could be selected to run alongside Harris, several of them from crucial battleground states.
Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was elected in a landslide victory in 2022, defeating a 2020 election-denying far-right state senator to become the third Jewish governor elected in the crucial swing state. During a stop in Philadelphia earlier this month, Harris called Shapiro a "great partner to the president and me."
Roy Cooper
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper leads a state that is a crucial battleground in 2024. He was narrowly elected for the first time in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes. Cooper previously waved off speculation that he might be on the shortlist for vice presidential nominees if Biden steps aside and Harris becomes the nominee, telling CNN in July, "I don't want to play into this new favorite political parlor game, because it's too important for America to stop Donald Trump."
Mark Kelly
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly represents a state that Biden won by only 10,457 votes in 2020 and has national name recognition both as a former astronaut and the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords. Kelly has been a reliable supporter of Democratic Party priorities while in office but has occasionally bucked his party, such as in 2023, when he flatly called the influx of undocumented migrants across the US southern border a "crisis."
Andy Beshear
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has been floated as a possible vice-presidential candidate. He won reelection to a second term last November in a deep-red state that Trump carried by about 25 points in 2020. He's the top elected Democrat in the Bluegrass state and made abortion a major issue in his campaign. One of the nation's most popular governors, Beshear has made headlines for his leadership of the state through the Covid-19 pandemic, deadly tornadoes in 2021 and catastrophic flooding in 2022.
J.B. Pritzker
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt hotel riches, has plenty of experience navigating the issues that dominate the 2024 presidential race, from gun control to reproductive rights. He led his state as it contends with increased demand for abortion care from women forced to travel from the South and Midwest in a post-Roe v. Wade era. In 2023, Pritzker signed an extensive ban on firearms and high-capacity magazines. He also signed first-in-the-nation legislation that prohibits book bans in the state. The governor, along with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also confronted top White House officials in October over the migrant crisis they warned was near a breaking point.
Pete Buttigieg
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg styled himself as a centrist during his 2020 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, leaning in on his time as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and his service in the Afghanistan War. His presidential run was historic as the first openly gay man to launch a competitive campaign for president.
Now leading the Transportation Department, Buttigieg was criticized for what was viewed as a slow federal response to the 2023 trail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and he has often served as the Biden administration's leading critic of the airline industry following flight delays and other mishaps. As a potential Harris running mate, Buttigieg would be an effective attack dog: he memorably once called then-Vice President Mike Pence, an evangelical Christian, a "cheerleader for the porn star presidency," a reference to Trump's personal life.
Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who won reelection in the crucial swing state in 2022 by roughly 10 percentage points, was eyed by Democrats as a top candidate to replace Biden atop the ticket, though she endorsed Harris on Monday morning and appeared to take herself out of consideration in comments to local reporters. "I am not leaving Michigan. I am proud to be the governor of Michigan. I have been consistent. I know everyone is always suspicious and asking this question over and over again," she told local reporters, The Detroit News reported. "I'm not going anywhere."
Gavin Newsom
California Gov. Gavin Newsom was the subject of 2024 presidential speculation last year, when he notably debated then-GOP candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Fox News and visited several Republican-led states. First elected in 2018, Newsom has called for Democrats to go on the offensive, calling out the GOP's stance on abortion restrictions, book bans and protections for the LGBTQ community, among other things.
But if If Harris becomes the Democratic nominee, Newsom, a fellow Californian, would run up against the 12th Amendment of the Constitution, which would prohibit Golden State electors, all 54 of them, from voting for a president and vice president who share the same state as themselves. Theoretically, this snag could be avoided if either Harris and Newsom changed their official residencies, potentially even after the election but before the Electoral College meets.
Read the full story by CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Karl de Vries and Eric Bradner here.
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