In less than a week, Kamal Harris’ star has risen spectacularly. Now, having never earned a single delegate in a Democratic primary, Kamala Harris has secured the support of enough pledged delegates to become the presumptive nominee.
Hollywood quickly began throwing money behind her while Republicans such as Vivek Ramaswamy reminded their votes “We’re not up against a candidate. We’re up against a managerial machine.”
The quick rally around Harris leaves one major question unanswered regarding the 2024 Presidential election and the Washington DC rumor mill is spinning: Who will Harris select as her Vice-Presidential running mate.
Historically, Vice Presidents were selected to balance a ticket politically or geographically, but in recent years, Presidents have trended toward choosing more of a collaborative partner model, opting for Vice Presidents they are friends with and work well with.
So, who will Harris pick? The Veepstakes, as it is colloquially known, is off to a running start.
One school of thought has Harris picking a perceived moderate such as Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to appeal to swing voters nationally.
“Beshear brings to a Democratic ticket the kind of conservative coded, politically liberal persona that the party needs to win a number of moderately pro-Trump voters,” said Jeffrey Tyler Syck, a political science professor at the University of Pikeville.
A second school of thought takes a more regional approach, choosing someone like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to help target voters in a key swing state.
Harris faces questions regarding her complicity in covering up Biden’s health issues and starts with significant high negative and low positive poll numbers. Her history of gaffes and prosecutorial abuses present challenges from both the left and the right.
The answer might lie in a VP choice with high popularity among Democrats and respect among Republicans. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has enjoyed a quick rise to power. In 2020 he was the mayor of Indianapolis, a city of fewer than 1 million people, before President Biden tapped him for the Cabinet.
Buttigieg would be the first openly gay candidate on a major party ticket.Other names being circulated include Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom would present immediate challenges under the 12th Amendment which functionally prohibits Presidents and Vice Presidents from being from the same state.
