Who will be Kamala Harris’ running mate? Possible vice-president candidates
Biden has succumbed to mounting pressure to step aside passing the baton to his VP Kamala Harris. So, who could be her running mate in the 2024 race?
The 2024 presidential election got a major shakeup after President Joe Biden finally succumbed to calls for him to step aside as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. The move came as he failed to calm the voices calling for him to do so after his weak debate performance against Trump that raised concerns about his cognitive health.
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Biden endorses Harris as Democratic Nominee for 2024 presidential race
He handed the baton over to Vice President Kamala Harris, who will now have to get the rest of the party to rally around her at the national convention in Chicago. One of her major strengths should she be challenged for the nomination is national name recognition having been Biden’s loyal Number Two since being picked to run as his VP on the 2020 ticket. Additionally, she would have access to all the funds that have been collected for the Biden-Harris reelection campaign.
Both former president Bill Clinton and wife Hilary, who ran against Trump in 2016, have also backed Harris, saying on X they will do “whatever we can to support her”.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, was rather more guarded in relation to who could be next for the Democrats, making no mention on Harris: “I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
So, now the question arises, “who will be Harris’ running mate in the 2024 contest for the White House?”
Who will be Kamala Harris’ running mate? Possible vice-president candidates
While speculation swirled about who could replace President Biden on the Democratic ticket, the expectation is that that person will most likely be a leading Democratic governor. A number of US senators had been mentioned, but Democrats have a narrow majority in the upper chamber and would only risk losing one to the presidential ticket were they to come from a state with a Democratic governor who could send a safe replacement to serve out the rest of that VP pick’s term.
While Governor Gavin Newsom had been mentioned as a possible replacement for Biden, he can be most likely counted out as a potential Harris VP pick as both of them hail from California. That is unless either Harris or Newsom were to file for residency in another state, Electoral College delegates cannot vote for two candidates from the same state.
Other governors whose names have been mentioned include Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Roy Cooper North Carolina, Wes Moore of Maryland, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. Also included as a potential Harris running mate is Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Another factor that will surely play into who is chosen is the state that they come from to give the ticket a leg-up with voters in a particular state. It’s expected that the winning ticket in the 2024 election will be decided by voters in just a handful of swing states.
Top strategists for both parties are closely watching pulse of voters in six states including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Those are currently toss-ups in the 2024 race and were states in which Trump contested Biden’s 2020 win.