After Cooper and Whitmer both drop out of potential VP contention, the choices narrow for Vice President Kamala Harris.

There seems to be an overall consensus in the media that there are 5 potential suitors still left in the race.

• Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania
• Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona
• Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
• Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky
• Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois

With Vice President Harris’ campaign announcing that she will interview said candidates over the weekend, it has become apparent that she will announce her pick soon. I will quickly go over the pros and the cons of each vice presidential pick, and ultimately come to a prediction on who the eventual nominee will be.

1. Governor Josh Shapiro

Overview: 51, first term Pennsylvania governor

Pros: Shapiro is both charismatic and popular in Pennsylvania. He’s maintained one of the nation’s highest approval ratings. According to a Fox News poll published last week, he’s easily in the 60s when it comes to approval percentages (his reach even extended to rural parts of his state). Thus, this would make it strategic for Harris to select Shapiro to win the highly touted and (very winnable) 19-point state of Pennsylvania. Shapiro was also highly effective in infrastructure as governor.

Cons: Shapiro is staunchly pro-Israel. He was highly critical of the pro-Palestinian protests taking place a UPenn, comparing the protestors as to that of the KKK. Shapiro is also vulnerable when it comes to education. He supported support for school vouchers, a highly unpopular policy decision among democrats. Additionally, Shapiro is not even two years into his first term as governor; he isn’t someone particularly experienced.

2. Senator Mark Kelly

Overview: 60, former NASA astronaut, Senator from Arizona

Pros: Kelly is also a popular senator from a swing state. Though Arizona is a harder win for the democrats than Pennsylvania, Kelly is actually the most favorable Vice Presidential pick according to a recent Ipsos poll (Kelly + 10). Additionally, after his wife, former representative Giffords, was shot in the head (luckily she survived), both Senator Kelly and his wife have been the loudest supporters for gun control, a popular stance among democrats. The biggest advantage, however, may be his status of a border-state Senator. Kelly could serve to lend his experience when it comes to the border, a large Harris campaign vulnerability.

Cons: Kelly is vulnerable when it comes to labor. A lot of democrats have been critical of his absence of co-sponsorship of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would have empowered labor leaders. Democratic Representative Jayapal (Wash.) went as far to say that, “I just don’t see how she can put somebody in who does not have a strong pro-labor record,”. Kelly has also received criticism for his early venture capital funding from Chinese tech companies.

3. Governor Tim Walz

Overview: 60, Governor of Minnesota

Pros: Walz is certainly qualified with his 12 years served in Congress and has proven himself capable of being able to enact a progressive agenda in Minnesota. He’s served on the National Guard for 20 years, a possible advantage when it comes to independent voters. On top of that, he most definitely has appeal with both independent and conservative voters with his former membership in the National Rifle Association and his down-to-earth style. Governor Walz has also recently gone viral for calling J.D. Vance, “weird,” in an interview. This slogan has caught on and has become central to the democrat’s campaign.

Cons: There is a genuine argument that could be made that Walz is to the left of Bernie Sanders when it comes to politics. His progressive agenda 100% supports this claim. This could be a massive turn-off for both independent and conservative voters and may not be incredibly strategic for the Harris campaign. Additionally, Minnesota has increasingly wandered out of the “swing state” category and into the “blue” state category. Clinton won the state in 2016 by a narrow 1.52% margin but Biden significantly carried the state by a 7.12% margin in 2020, not to mention the democratic party’s success in the 2022 midterms. Picking Walz wouldn’t be specifically strategic in terms of the electoral college.

4. Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Overview: 42, Secretary of Transportation

Pros: Buttigieg is certainly experienced as has made a name for himself. He’s also young, energetic, and speaks/argues in a manner strikingly close to that of Barack Obama. He has proven himself to be successful when it comes to rural, conservative-leaning areas in the Rust Belt. Buttigieg has also had a few viral clips recently on right-leaning shows among the likes of Real Time with Bill Maher (c’mon now, he’s right leaning), Fox News, and others and actively called out J.D. Vance and the rest of the Trump administration. Not to mention that Buttigieg is the darling of the establishment when it comes to large donations.

Cons: Unfortunately, though Buttigieg has had a lot of successes in office, such as the delivery of emergency COVID-19 relief, Buttigieg has also had some incredibly flashy and loud problems (though they aren’t fully his fault). These include the likes of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, as well as the recent mass flight delays and cancellations. Not to also mention the elephant in the room, he’s openly gay. In a country so divided and discriminatory, will the majority of America really vote for a Black-Indian woman and a gay man?

5. Governor Andy Beshear

Overview: 46, Governor of Kentucky

Pros: Beshear is incredibly interesting, especially when it comes to the fact that he’s won three statewide elections in a state that Trump carried by nearly 20 points in the last election. This most definitely gives Harris the edge when it comes to rural counties this election. Does this mean Harris will win Kentucky? Not a chance. But will this at least but Harris on the map for a new demographic of voters? Most definitely.

Cons: Beshear lacks the specific D.C. experience that the Harris campaign has been looking for. Not to mention that he’s faced criticism for sending disaster relief aid to the wrong families after deadly tornadoes struck western Kentucky in 2021.

6. Governor J.B. Pritzker

Overview: 59, Governor of Illinois

Pros: Pritzker has a maintained a progressive agenda in Illinois and has appeal with both left-winger and independents. Pritzker is also a billionaire and could most definitely contribute to fundraising.

Cons: Pritzker has the last name value out of anyone else in contention. Not to mention that fact that Illinois is not much a battleground state for the democrats anymore. It wouldn’t be as strategic to select the Illinois governor.

Why: When I first heard these names, I knew that the democratic party wouldn’t anyone remotely progressive. We saw this with Biden and Kaine in recent years. In addition, the fact that the democrats were running a Black-Indian woman would also have to be supplemented with a relatively moderate choice when it came to the VP pick (yes, that’s where our country is at). That’s why I had narrowed down the initial batch of candidates down to Roy Cooper and Josh Shapiro. The most moderate, cautious, and bland picks. Now with Roy Cooper out, I can confidently point to Josh Shapiro being the likely nominee. On all the metrics I could find, articles, online markets, and more, all I could see are signs that point to Governor Josh Shapiro. I agree with my benefits mentioned above, Shapiro is great on favorability, infrastructure, and is great on TV. But personally, I strongly dislike his stance on Israel and the environment. But I can understand why the Harris campaign would select him, especially if it guarantees 19 points on the board.

Who would I like to see as the nominee? From my perspective, coming from the left-wing, I would love to see Tim Walz as our VP. Why? He’s a guy that just get’s things done. Walz passed Universal Free School meals, legal weed, carbon free electricity by 2040, tax rebates for the working class up to $1,300 if you make less than $150,000 a year, 12 weeks paid family leave, 12 weeks paid sick leave, banned conversion therapy, Red Flag laws for for guns, universal background checks for guns, automatic voter registration, free public college for families that make under 80,000 a year, $2.2 billion increase in K2 school funding, and sectoral bargaining for nursing home workers, ALL WITH A ONE SEAT MAJORITY.

Whoever the pick is. Harris looks to continue the honeymoon phase she’s in and carry it to the election.

Currently 0/0 in predictions