Harris’ running-mate list is narrowing after 2 top contenders ruled themselves out
Govs. Gretchen Whitmer and Roy Cooper have ruled themselves out of the veepstakes.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ veepstakes is still off and running — minus two major contenders.
Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, a longtime friend of Harris, announced his withdrawal from the selection process on Monday. And Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan said on Monday that she would be sticking with her current job.
In a statement posted on X, Cooper said that while he was “honored” to be considered, “this just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket.”
Though he offered no further explanation, The New York Times reported that Cooper had concerns that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a pro-Trump Republican, would try to assume control of the state if he left.
The Times, citing two people familiar with the situation, said Cooper didn’t think Robinson would be successful but was worried the attempt would be an unnecessary disruption.
Whitmer ruled herself out Monday during an interview on “CBS Mornings.”
“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.
Whitmer added: “I am not a part of the vetting.”
She also estimated a timeframe for the decision: six or seven days, which would be by the beginning of next week.
Other top picks appear to remain in contention.
Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Tim Walz of Minnesota have not ruled themselves out, nor has Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona or Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, whose names have also been floated as prospective running mates.
With the 2024 race thrown into uncertainty since President Joe Biden dropped out last week, Harris’ choice of running mate will show where her campaign sees its clearest path to victory. And each candidate has the ability to reshape her ticket in different ways.
Shapiro, for example, offers an advantage that the White House has been lacking under Biden: strong polling numbers. In January, a poll found that the Pennsylvania governor had a 59% approval rate among his constituents, and in a key swing state, that could help keep the state blue in 2024.
Kelly has also found success in his historically red battleground state of Arizona, winning two elections there in 2020 and 2022, even when the state was expected to see a red wave under the Biden administration.
Beshear might not offer the same opportunity to sway a red state into the blue, but the Kentucky governor did manage to win two terms in office despite his state’s Republican lean. And Walz has become a darling among progressive activists after he pushed through a series of policy wins in Minnesota with a razor-thin Democratic majority.
Other names that have cropped up as prospective picks for Harris include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, but Bloomberg reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter, that Harris had narrowed it down to three top choices: Shapiro, Walz, and Kelly. Other reports added Beshear to that list.
And with former President Donald Trump’s unpopular pick of Sen. JD Vance, Harris’ running-mate choice has the potential to make her ticket look much stronger to moderates and swing voters than Trump-Vance.
