Kamala Harris's Vice President pick: Who's in the running?
Kamala Harris is set to announce her running-mate in the 2024 election, here's who could be joining her on the campaign trail.
Listen to this article
In brief...
- Kamala Harris is set to announce her pick for Vice President in the next week.
- With Gretchen Whitmer and Roy Cooper out of the running, a handful of favourites have emerged.
- Harris and her VP will campaign against Donald Trump and JD Vance for votes in the November election.
A lot of people are having to admit they're got things wrong right now.
Wrong about Kamala Harris and her popularity with US voters. Wrong about her potential to become the next president of the USA, with her Democratic Party campaign amping up in America, drawing huge financial backing and rapidly rising in the polls.
"A few weeks ago, people were saying if Biden does stand down, it's going to be such a slaughter, no one will want to be the Vice President on a ticket with Kamala Harris, because it's all going to hell," says Jon Sopel, referencing the question of who will become her running mate in the November election.
"Now, they all do!"
Harris is set to make her VP pick known by Tuesday 7 August, when she will make her first appearance with her chosen running-mate. Whoever is picked will go head-to-head alongside Harris against Republican candidate Donald Trump and his VP JD Vance on 5 November.
We know two names who won't be picked – with both Roy Cooper and Gretchen Whitmer recently confirming they intend to remain in their governor positions in North Carolina and Michigan, respectively.
Cooper said it "wasn't the right time" to be on the ticket, while Whitmer confirmed she hadn't been vetted for the VP role.
But for one Democrat, it will be the right time – and these are the current frontrunners for Kamala Harris's Vice President pick.
Josh Shapiro
Jewish Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, 51, is a popular choice for the VP role, due to the huge number of votes which can be drawn with a win in the swing state and the diversity a white, 'rust belt' candidate could bring alongside Harris, a black, female lawyer from California.
"He has a lot of pluses," says Jon. "He represents that key geographical part of America, where Kamala Harris has got to do well.
"As a California lawyer it may not be her natural territory, so he is certainly one of those people to watch.
"He is a good communicator. He is feisty. He is on the ball."
Shapiro is pro-choice, has previously refused to condemn prisoners to the death sentence in his state, backs the increase of clean energy and wants children in failing schools to be provided funding to progress in their education.
Tim Walz
Former National Guard officer and teacher Tim Walz, 60, is the governor of Minnesota, and is described by Emily Maitlis as a "very folksy, chatty, relaxed, older guy."
"I don't mean folksy at all in a sort of pejorative way. I mean, somebody who has got the ability to just talk to normal, everyday Americans."
"He knows what he's doing. He knows how to reach the kids. He knows how to get his message through."
Waltz has also been leading the conversation about Donald Trump being a "weird" candidate, which has seeped into the mainstream and inspired countless memes on social media.
Emily says he has seeded this thinking with "careful distinction" between people who support Trump, of which he admits he knows many, and "the guy at the centre" being the source of the oddity.
He cosponsored a bill to raise the national minimum wage, has supported abortion rights, and has voted in support of the Affordable Care Act.
Pete Buttigieg
The current Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, 42, has become a well-known face in US politics, earning the nickname 'Mayor Pete' after becoming the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Like Shapiro, he represents a 'rust belt' state, which Harris will be keen to appeal to.
There are suggestions, however, that as a gay man, Buttigieg might offer too much diversity for some US voters, when paired with a black woman on the ballot.
"I think it would be a big risk if you're going for the sunbelt states where there's a lot of social conservatism and blue collar states where there's also a lot of social conservatism, of the backlash that there could be for that," says Jon.
But Emily disagrees, and believes pairing Harris and Buttigieg could offer something special as president and VP.
"The one thing that Kamala Harris needs in a VP is chemistry," she says.
"I think the two of them together would be an extraordinary ticket. I think you would get people out to listen to the two of them in their droves because they sound very different.
"I think that they would work together as an exciting prospect."
Buttigieg previously ran for president in 2020, eventually placing fourth with Joe Biden winning. He supports abortion rights, wants to improve rights for people struggling with mental health and addiction issues, and abolishing the death penalty.
Mark Kelly
Emily says she has tried to "shoehorn" a mention of Mark Kelly into every episode of The News Agents USA.
Mark Kelly, 60, is married to Gabby Giffords, the former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 when she was shot in the head.
He's also a former astronaut, and Navy captain.
"He's got a great CV, but some people would say he's great on paper, but a slightly dull speaker to listen to – but very much in the running," Emily says.
Alongside his wife, Kelly launched political action committee, Americans for Responsible Solutions, to tackle gun violence in the US, focusing mainly on background checks to ensure criminals, terrorists or other threats cannot own firearms.