Who Will Kamala Harris Pick as Her 2024 Running Mate? Possible VP Candidates to Fill Out New Democratic Ticket

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, 46, has proven capable of attracting a broad voter base, winning reelection in 2023 to a second term at the helm of one of the most conservative states in the nation. His knack for coalition-building in a divided political climate has made him a rising star in the Democratic Party.

Beshear, one of the nation's youngest sitting governors, could also drum up excitement among voters who were concerned about Biden's age, and neutralize Trump's choice to put a 39-year-old on the Republican ticket. His only downfall would be that, while he might appeal to voters on the national stage, he doesn't hail from a must-win state.

Prior to becoming governor in December 2019, Beshear served four years as Kentucky's attorney general.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut who flipped John McCain's Senate seat blue, has been tossed around as a possible candidate to fill out the ticket, both because of his bipartisan appeal and his ties to an important battleground state.

Kelly, 60, is married to former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who narrowly survived an assassination attempt in 2011 when a man shot her in the head during a community event. Together, Kelly and Giffords have spoken out against political violence and, in June, wrote an essay for PEOPLE about reproductive freedoms — both significant topics in the 2024 election.

Though plenty of anonymous sources have offered conflicting takes to media outlets on who Harris would pick, multiple sources have said that Kelly either is, or should be, at the top of her list.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, like others on this list, followed the attorney general to governor pipeline when he was elected to lead his state by a 15% margin in the 2022 midterms.

Prior to the VP buzz, Shapiro, 51, was relatively unknown outside the Keystone State, but he's now seen as a strong candidate for the simple reason that he could help Democrats win over the Rust Belt.

It has long been said that Democrats' best chance to Electoral College victory in November is to secure the "blue wall," which includes Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota — and on Shapiro's home turf his popularity ratings soar, demonstrating his bipartisan appeal.

Though Shapiro has been characterized as "inexperienced" in comparison to other possible running mates, since he's only in his second year as governor, he is not a newcomer to politics. Prior to serving as the state's attorney general he was chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, and he spent seven years in the Pennsylvania state House.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, 42, made a name for himself in the party for his ability to clearly articulate a message — a skill that's been on display in recent House hearings, as he's gone viral for fact-checking Republican lawmakers' claims with counter-statistics in live time.

Dubbed "Mayor Pete" when he joined the 2020 Democratic primary race as the little-known mayor of South Bend, Ind., Buttigieg ultimately placed fifth. In the process, though, he made waves as one of the first openly gay men to launch a major party presidential campaign, and would make history again as a vice presidential nominee.

Like his would-be opponent J.D. Vance, Buttigieg is an Ivy League graduate (he studied history and literature at Harvard), a veteran (he was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve), and a millennial. He is also a former Rhodes Scholar who has worked on multiple Democratic campaigns.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, 60, is a former teacher, national guardsman and high school football coach who turned to politics in 2006 when he successfully ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in a historically Republican district. After 12 years in the House, during which he became a senior member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Walz soundly won the 2018 Minnesota gubernatorial race.

Since his reelection, Walz has adopted a platform that aligns with a significant portion of the Biden-Harris administration. He's signed legislation into law that protected Minnesotans' access to abortion, legalized marijuana and addressed calls for police reform.

Though he was once given an "A" rating by the NRA, Walz shifted his views on the organization after a series of mass shootings in 2017 and 2018, and redirected money he received from the NRA. He has since helped shepherd gun safety legislation in Minnesota.

Aside from his political track record, Walz stands out as another experienced politician who could help Harris better reach rural and Midwest voters in the quest to lock down 270 Electoral College votes. And in recent media appearances on behalf of the Harris campaign, he's been able to articulate a sharp ideological divide between J.D. Vance and everyday Americans.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, 52, first entered the national conversation when it was rumored that she was on Biden's running mate shortlist in 2020. Now in her second term as governor, she remains an appealing pick for a divided party.

Whitmer has been handily elected to statewide office twice in a key battleground state that could determine this year's presidential winner. She has also been an outspoken voice on the effort to protect abortion, and — like Trump — has first-hand experience with violence, after a widely reported plot to kidnap Whitmer and overthrow the state government was thwarted by law enforcement.

Outside of the governorship, Whitmer's experience would prove useful: She previously served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and has been a co-chair of the Biden-Harris reelection campaign. She also has experience in the Michigan state House and as the state Senate minority leader, and was a county prosecutor.

Still, The Hill cited a familiar source in claiming that Whitmer is not interested in joining the ticket as vice president this year, and Whitmer has publicly said that she wants to serve out her full gubernatorial term in Michigan.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, 59, has emerged as an unlikely champion of the progressive movement since taking office in 2019, particularly on the issues of reproductive rights and gun safety. He is also known to hold no punches when he goes on the offensive against Trump.

A more practical benefit, though, than his track record in executive office is that Pritzker is the wealthiest politician in the United States: His family founded the Hyatt hotel chain and his net worth is estimated at more than $3 billion, which would certainly come in handy as the Democratic Party scrambles to recalibrate.

Plus, his Midwest familiarity could theoretically translate into an argument that he understands the region's concerns (though Illinois' solidly blue politics may undermine that argument a bit).

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, 53, is a powerful member of President Biden's Cabinet who is not expected to slow her career any time soon. The former Rhode Island governor is reportedly being vetted by the Harris campaign as a less likely, but possible, pick for vice president.

Raimondo may do little to appeal to Middle American voters (she's an East Coast venture capitalist who went to Harvard, Oxford and Yale), but she earns bonus points for helping the Biden administration implement the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act — a landmark piece of economy-boosting legislation that responded to the global microchip shortage by investing in domestic manufacturing.

While some have expressed fears about the electability of an all-female ticket, Raimondo, for one, disagrees.

“Look, I think the American people are ready for the team that can lead — whoever that is, regardless of, you know, gender or race or background,” she told CBS News on July 25. She added that "it would be an honor" if Harris asked her to join the ticket.