Who could Kamala Harris pick as her VP? Here are 10 potential running mates
Washington — Speculation has been building about who Kamala Harris will choose as her running mate — a decision she'll have to make soon as the Democratic National Convention nears.
The vice president is looking at a deep bench ahead of the party's nominating convention in Chicago, which begins Aug. 19. Many were considered to be potential presidential candidates this year if President Biden had chosen earlier not to run for reelection. He announced on July 21 that he was withdrawing from the race and endorsing Harris.
A few days after Mr. Biden dropped out, source familiar said Harris' campaign was vetting around 12 candidates to join the ticket, a number larger than previously reported. Multiple sources told CBS News that the list of candidates includes Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Tim Walz of Minnesota, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
"The vice president has begun a process that is probably one of the most important processes and decisions that she will make during her time as a candidate for president," Harris' campaign chair, Julie Chávez Rodríguez, told CBS News in an exclusive interview on July 26 when asked whether Harris had narrowed down her list of potential vice presidential nominees.
Here's a look at the potential vice presidential candidates:
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly
Mark Kelly, a 60-year-old senator from Arizona, brings the advantage of representing a key battleground state.
The former NASA astronaut and Navy combat pilot rose to prominence after his wife, then-Rep. Gabby Giffords, was shot while meeting with constituents in 2011. The pair became advocates for gun safety.
Kelly became the first Democrat to hold the seat since 1962, winning a special election against Republican incumbent Sen. Martha McSally in 2020 to fill the remainder of the late Sen. John McCain's term. Kelly won reelection in 2022.
Kelly, a moderate Democrat, could give Harris a boost with key voters in the historically red border state.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
Josh Shapiro has served as governor of Pennsylvania since 2023 after beating a far-right opponent. The victory allowed Democrats to hang on to the governor's mansion in another key battleground state.
The 51-year-old served as the state's attorney general, county commissioner and state representative before becoming governor.
Shapiro has outperformed Democratic presidential nominees Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton in the state in recent elections. His selection could increase Democrats' odds of winning the state — which has 19 Electoral College votes, the largest allocation among battleground states — and the White House.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has charmed voters in a solidly red state, easily winning a second term last year after distancing himself from the national party.
First elected in 2019, he made abortion access a focus of his campaign and has been praised for his leadership through deadly tornadoes and other severe weather incidents.
The 46-year-old son of former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear was elected state attorney general in 2015.
Beshear recently told CNN that he loves his job as governor and he'd only consider joining the ticket if he felt he could help Kentucky residents "more in a different role or that there was a chance to move past the partisanship, the constant fighting."
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is becoming a leading voice in the Democratic Party, won reelection in the battleground state by double digits in 2022.
Whitmer, 52, has served as governor since 2019. Before that, she was a state representative and state senator. She emphasized abortion rights in her reelection effort and encouraged Democrats to make reproductive rights a focal point ahead of the November elections.
If selected by Harris, the duo would be the first major-party all-female ticket.
But Whitmer indicated in interviews that she plans to stay on as governor through the end of her term.
On "CBS Mornings" on July 29, Whitmer said she is "not a part of the vetting" process for Harris' campaign.
"I have communicated with everyone, including the people of Michigan, that I'm going to stay as governor until the end of my term at the end of 2026," she said.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
J.B. Pritzker, 59, has been the governor of Illinois since 2019.
He hasn't shied away from attacking former President Donald Trump and has been a strong voice on issues like gun control and reproductive rights, signing related measures into law in recent years.
He does not hail from a battleground state, but as a billionaire member of the family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, he could help fund the campaign.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom, the 56-year-old governor of California, has been frequently mentioned as a future presidential candidate and has been a prominent progressive surrogate for Mr. Biden.
He served as San Francisco's mayor when Harris was the city's district attorney. After, he became the lieutenant governor of California before winning the top job.
Newsom's national name recognition could be useful in the race, but a Harris-Newsom ticket would run into an impediment raised by the 12th Amendment, which says electors in a state can't vote for a president and vice president who are residents of the same state.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore
Wes Moore became Maryland's first Black governor in 2023. At 45, the rising star is the youngest Democratic governor in the country. He is also the country's lone Black governor.
The Army combat veteran and Rhodes Scholar has been a Biden campaign surrogate, making stops in places like Wisconsin to court Black voters.
Moore was catapulted into the national spotlight earlier this year as he led Maryland's response to the Baltimore bridge collapse.
Moore recently told "CBS Mornings" that he has "no interest" in being vice president, but he "would do anything to make sure that the vice president becomes the next president of the United States."
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg, 42, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, bested a crowded field of prominent Democratic rivals to win the Iowa caucuses in 2020 when he ran for president. But the first openly gay major presidential candidate struggled to gain the support of Black voters and ultimately endorsed Mr. Biden, who later appointed Buttigieg as his transportation secretary.
The former Navy intelligence officer and Rhodes Scholar is one of the few Biden administration officials who appears for interviews on Fox News.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has been in the position since 2017 and cannot run again due to term limits. He won both of his races for governor the same years that Trump won North Carolina. In his 2016 race, he beat Republican incumbent Pat McCrory, making him the first candidate to defeat a sitting governor in the state's history.
Cooper, 67, previously served as North Carolina's attorney general and was also a state representative and state senator.
But Cooper has taken himself out of the running to be Harris' potential VP, saying in a statement that he was "honored to be considered for this role."
"This just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket. As I've said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we'll all work to make sure she wins," he said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
Tim Walz, the two-term governor of Minnesota, has predicted the presidential election results will be close in his upper Midwest state.
Walz, 60, has led the state through progressive policy wins in recent years, including enacting abortion protections, legalizing recreational marijuana and providing free school meals to all kids.
Walz, a former school teacher, previously served six terms as a member of the U.S. House. As the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, he is helping fundraise and campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidates.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.
