Harris’s record is well-known, but the political positions of her potential running mates are not. The National Pulse has compiled a primer on each.
By William Upton | The National Pulse
With Kamala Harris securing enough of Joe Biden’s delegates to become the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, attention is now on her potential vice presidential picks. Following Biden’s announcement that he would not seek reelection, several Democrats quickly emerged as contenders.
Those under consideration include Governors Roy Cooper (D-NC), Josh Shapiro (D-PA), Andy Beshear (D-KY), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), and Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI). Additionally, Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, is a leading candidate favored by Harris.
While Harris’s 20-year public office record is well-known, the political positions of her potential running mates are less familiar. The National Pulse has compiled a primer on each candidate and their stances.
ROY COOPER, BLUE DOG.
Elected as Governor of North Carolina in 2017, Roy Cooper, 67, is a strong contender for Kamala Harris’s running mate. An attorney by trade, Cooper served as the state’s Attorney General for nearly 16 years before becoming governor.
Cooper’s term-limited status and close relationship with Harris—who has visited North Carolina over a dozen times this year—fuel speculation about his selection. His candidacy could challenge the Republican electoral map by putting North Carolina in play, where Trump held a significant lead over Biden.
As governor, Cooper has focused on the opioid epidemic, earning a reputation as a moderate Democrat. However, his authoritarian COVID-19 lockdown orders and mask mandates contrast this view. In 2023, he expanded the state’s Medicaid program.
Cooper’s moderate image partly stems from his battles with a Republican-dominated state legislature, which overrode 23 of his 28 vetoes during his first two years in office.
JOSH SHAPIRO, RISING STAR.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, 51, is an emerging figure in national Democratic politics. Elected in 2022, Shapiro is relatively new to the political stage but served as Pennsylvania’s Attorney General from 2017 to 2023.
Viewed as a moderate Democrat, Shapiro has shown openness to school vouchers as governor, drawing criticism from the teacher’s union. In the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, he built a reputation as a bipartisan consensus builder.
However, Shapiro’s Jewish faith may hinder his vice presidential prospects, potentially alienating Muslim and Arab-American voters who abandoned Biden over his support for Israel against Hamas. The National Pulse has extensively covered this voter discontent.
ANDY BESHEAR, THE NEPOTISM GOVERNOR.
Andy Beshear, son of former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear, is the state’s current governor. Often mislabeled as a political ‘blue dog,’ Beshear aligns more with the far left and progressives like Kamala Harris.
After taking office in 2019, Beshear fired all eleven members of the state’s board of education, replacing them with progressive ideologues who promote a DEI agenda. He is a strong advocate for abortion and gay marriage, in stark contrast to his father, who opposed gay marriage.
Beshear’s progressive stance extends to crime and immigration. He opposes tougher penalties for shoplifters, supports leniency for minor defendants in violent gun crimes, and keeps Kentucky in the federal refugee resettlement program.
J.B. PRITZKER, BIG PROGRESSIVE BILLIONAIRE.
J.B. Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune, is the current Governor of Illinois. He secured a second term in the 2022 mid-terms. Pritzker champions progressive causes, including abortion and gender ideology, influenced by his transgender sibling, Jennifer Pritzker.
In 2019, he signed the Reproductive Health Act, criticized for permitting partial-birth abortions and denying fetuses “independent rights.”
Pritzker also promotes a lenient stance on crime, addressing racial disparities in traffic stops and eliminating cash bail in 2021, potentially allowing violent criminals to go free before trial.
GRETCHEN WHITMER, SECURING MICHIGAN.
As Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer‘s biggest claim to fame is a 2020 plot ‘thwarted’ by the FBI in which individuals plotted to kidnap her.
However, after at least two attempts, several of the alleged plotters were acquitted of their crimes as evidence emerged that they were pushed towards the plot by an FBI informant—meaning the federal law enforcement agency entrapped them.
An unabashed progressive, Whitmer has expanded pro-abortion and transgender policies and relaxed educational standards. She has closed numerous oil and gas facilities, focusing on green energy initiatives.
Additionally, Whitmer supports open borders, expanding refugee resettlement programs, and canceled the sale of a state prison intended for use as an illegal immigrant detention center
Whitmer has moved to close numerous oil and gas facilities in the state—focusing instead on so-called green and renewable energy initiatives. As governor, she is expanding the state’s refugee resettlement program and canceled the sale of a shuttered state prison when she discovered it would be used as an illegal immigrant detention center.
MARK KELLY, HERO SPACE CADET.
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, is among the vice presidential candidates under consideration. Elected in a 2020 special election to replace the late Sen. John McCain, Kelly often highlights his NASA astronaut background to bolster his American hero image.
Politically, Kelly’s record is controversial. After the January 6 Capitol riots, he urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump.
Kelly supports codifying Roe v. Wade and legal protection for late-stage abortions. He is also a strong proponent of gun control, advocating for a ban on semi-automatic and gas-operated firearms.
MAYOR PETE, REALLY?
Pete Buttigieg, Biden’s Transportation Secretary, may be on Harris’s vice presidential shortlist. An openly gay candidate, Buttigieg could appeal to various demographics and make history as the first openly gay Vice President.
However, Buttigieg’s political experience is limited to being Mayor of South Bend and Transportation Secretary, posing a significant issue.
His tenure at the Transportation Department has been problematic, marked by a catastrophic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and inadequate oversight of the airline industry, including serious issues at Boeing and FAA hiring standards.
Additionally, a critical bridge collapse in Baltimore occurred under his watch, further questioning his effectiveness in the role. ##