AMBLER, Pa. (AP) — Democrat Josh Shapiro had a double message for excited voters in suburban Philadelphia this week, telling them Kamala Harris belongs in the White House – and then remind them of everything he did as governor of battleground Pennsylvania. Governor of Kentucky Andy BeshearLikewise, he told voters in Georgia that Harris has what it takes to be “a great president” – and then highlighted the elections he won as a Democrat in Republican territory.
The two governors demonstrated a time-honored tradition in presidential campaigns: summer auditions of vice presidential candidates that walk the line between open self-promotion and loyal defense of the potential boss.
Vice President Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, appears intent on making a choice that she feels personally comfortable with and that can expand her electoral appeal. Her campaign has been vetting about a dozen potential running mates, according to people familiar with the search process. Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly are seen as the front-runners, people said.
Harris’ advisers, led by former Attorney General Eric Holder, have been sifting through reams of paperwork submitted by potential running mates, while the candidate herself has held personal conversations with the finalists, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Harris, according to another person familiar with the matter, is looking for someone with executive experience who can also serve as a government partner. Notions of a so-called short list haven’t stopped members of the Democrats’ broader national caucus from finding the spotlight.
“I’m not going to talk about the interactions I had with the campaign,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker recently said on MSNBC. He added, however: “Let’s just say I’m aware that the vetting process is quite in-depth.” He then listed his accomplishments, stating that he was the only Midwestern governor to raise the state minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who was once considered the ideal candidate if Biden bailed out, has more or less said that she is not a candidate. But she appeared Monday with Shapiro in Pennsylvania and mused on MSNBC last week that “two women on the ticket would be exciting.”
Harris would be the first woman, the first Black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to serve as president. Many Democrats argued that she should balance her candidacy both demographically and politically.
The Democrats’ Vice Presidential List Has Notable Differences
Shapiro, 51, is among the most popular governors in the US, winning the 2022 election in a defeat against a Trump-endorsed Republican. He is an outspoken supporter of abortion rights and has won three state elections in Pennsylvania. His speaking style draws comparisons to that of former President Barack Obama. But he has been criticized by the left for his support of Israel’s war against Hamas, a private school voucher program and natural gas infrastructure.
His allies argue he would help Harris win Pennsylvania, complicating, if not blocking, the Republican Party. donald trumppath to a majority in the Electoral College.
Like all candidates, Shapiro avoids questions about the vetting process and emphasizes that Harris should not be pressured. But he has mentioned more than once that he has known her for nearly two decades.
Beshear stands out in a heavily Republican state. During his weekend stop in Georgia, he talked about winning votes in “tough counties” but emphasized liberal bona fides: “I’m a proud pro-union governor. I am a proud pro-choice governor. I am a proud governor of public education. I am a proud pro-diversity governor.”
Closest in age to J.D. Vance among the Democratic prospects, Beshear openly mocks the Trump surrogate for presenting himself as a son of Appalachia. “I mean, there’s a county in Kentucky where J.D. Vance says it’s — and I won it by 22 points last November,” he said.
Recently, at his home in Frankfort, Beshear downplayed the importance of coming from a battlefield, saying, “Almost every successful ticket since 2000 has not had someone in a swing state.”
Of course, sometimes the spotlight can produce errors. Twice in Georgia, Beshear incorrectly pronounced Harris’ first name as “Kah-MAH-lah” instead of the correct “KAH-mah-lah.”
Beshear and Shapiro were state attorneys general, like Harris, before becoming governor. But their terms did not overlap considerably with Harris’ service in California. She worked most closely with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper during his days as attorney general, but Cooper said Monday that he chose not to be considered for vice president.
Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz, 60, is a favorite of some progressives. He brings an atypical national political resume: he was an Army non-commissioned officer, a public school teacher and a coach in state football championships before entering politics. Before being elected governor, he was one of the last white Democrats in Congress to represent a largely rural, small-town voting district — a notable juxtaposition for Harris, the Bay Area Californian.
“She will make the best choice she can,” Walz said Sunday on CNN, a day after Trump held a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota. “One way or another, she will win in November and that will benefit everyone,” Walz said, including “many of the people who were in St. Cloud with the (former) president.”
Kelly, 60, is the only major candidate in Congress. He has an impressive military resume and experience as an astronaut. He has strong local Latino support and strong relationships with Arizona officials along the U.S.-Mexico border. That balance could give him credibility on immigration policy as Republicans frame the high number of migrant border crossings as a national crisis.
But Kelly had to bolster his credentials with workers, a key Democratic faction. Kelly changed his stance on union-backed legislation known as the PRO Act that would make it easier for workers to organize. He was one of the few Democrats who did not co-sponsor the bill, saying at the time that he supported the goals but had concerns. After opposition from labor leaders, Kelly said this month that he would vote in favor of the bill if it came to a vote.
Everyone has an opinion
Harris is expected to announce her pick in time for Democratic delegates to ratify her decision in a virtual nomination vote that could conclude as early as Aug. 7. Whatever their timeline, the media and campaign circuit are allowing many Democrats more time in the spotlight.
Meanwhile, everyone seems to have an opinion.
Steven Benjamin, the White House director of public engagement, laughed as he told reporters on Air Force One on Monday that his office had received thousands of recommendations from across the country.
Donna Brazile, who managed Democrat Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign and was instrumental in urging Biden to choose Harris in 2020, said the selection process involves “a lot of noise” that understates the complexity of the decision.
“The most important step is what the lawyers do with you,” she said, laughing and emphasizing the seriousness. “It’s worse than a dental hygiene check. … Before you get to suitability and other factors, before you get to politicians like me, they did a forensic examination of your life.”
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Barrow reported from Cumming, Georgia. Associated Press reporters Zeke Miller in Washington, Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Bruce Schreiner in Frankfort, Kentucky; Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix; and Colleen Long aboard Air Force One contributed.
