Tim Walz Wins Harris Veepstakes. Here’s Everyone He Beat Out.

Graphic: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty

PROS: Tim Walz has been governor of Minnesota since 2019. He previously served six terms in the U.S. House and before that he was a teacher and a member of the Army National Guard. He has been expanding his national profile recently as chair of the Democratic Governors Association and a surrogate for the Biden-Harris campaign. His media blitz since Harris became the presumptive nominee has generated a lot of buzz among Democrats, with his labeling of Republicans as “weird” catching on quickly.

CONS: At 60, Walz is one of the older candidates on the shortlist, so he wouldn’t underscore the relative youth of the Democratic ticket.

HARRIS’S STANCE: The Harris campaign has asked Walz for vetting materials, according to USA Today.

WALZ’S STANCE: He suggested he’s open to being VP in an interview with Minnesota Now following his phone call with Harris on July 21. “She mentioned she would need my help. And I said she has it in any way that she sees fit,” Walz said. “If that’s the direction she goes, I guess that’s fine.”

AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Walz going after J.D. Vance on Morning Joe on July 23:

PROS: Josh Shapiro is the popular first-term governor of Pennsylvania, a state Democrats must win. He previously served as his state’s attorney general, like Harris, and drew national attention with an investigation into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and his successful effort to fight Trump’s bogus voter-fraud claims in the 2020 election. In 2022, he defeated his Trump-backed challenger by 15 percentage points (possibly because Doug Mastriano was a flawed candidate, but it’s still impressive). He’s a moderate who has relatively high approval ratings among Republicans and could appeal to swing voters He would make history as the second Jewish running mate on a major-party ticket, after Joe Lieberman. He’s also currently the betting markets’ favorite pick by a wide margin.

CONS: Shapiro was a vocal defender of Israel after the October 7 attack by Hamas, and some on the left have mounted a campaign against him based largely on his stances around the war in Gaza. During an April CNN interview about antisemitism on college campuses, Shapiro invoked the Ku Klux Klan when criticizing pro-Palestinian demonstrators, telling CNN’s Jake Tapper that “we have to query whether or not we would tolerate this if these were people dressed up in KKK outfits or KKK regalia making comments about people who are African-American in our communities” — a comment that left-leaning adversaries have seized on. Shapiro also called for the resignation of former University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill, who faltered under withering question from conservative lawmakers about antisemitism on campus last December. (Magill resigned shortly thereafter.) Shapiro is an observant Jew, and some have argued that he is only getting so much blowback because of his religion, while others worry that his Judaism could pose an electability problem. Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman has also reportedly expressed concerns about Shapiro to the Harris team.

HARRIS’S STANCE: The Harris campaign has asked Shapiro for vetting materials, according to NBC News. However, Shapiro initially said that was not true, then subsequently declined to answer whether he was being vetted. Bloomberg reports that he is one of the three candidates on Harris’s short list.

SHAPIRO’S STANCE: In his statement endorsing Harris, he said, “I’ve known Kamala Harris for nearly two decades — we’ve both been prosecutors, we’ve both stood up for the rule of law, we’ve both fought for the people and delivered results.” The governor has not commented on potentially being her running mate, and said Harris should make her decision “free from any political pressure.”

AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Shapiro accusing Trump of “shit-talking America” on July 29:

PROS: Mark Kelly is a Navy veteran and former astronaut from the swing state of Arizona. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in a 2020 special election and was reelected to a full term in 2022. He has a higher profile than some other VP candidates because he became a gun-control advocate along with his wife, former U.S. representative Gabby Giffords, after she survived an assassination attempt in 2011. In his previous contest, Kelly won 58 percent of Latino voters, a key demographic in the upcoming election. As a Democrat from a border state, Kelly could also help defend Harris from GOP attacks on immigration issues.

CONS: Kelly’s choice would create some Senate election drama. Governor Katie Hobbs would certainly appoint a Democrat to replace him, but that person would have to run in 2026 and again for a full term in 2028. Union officials had raised concerns about Kelly because he refused to back the Protecting the Right to Organize Act or PRO Act. But on July 24 Kelly suddenly endorsed the pro-union legislation. Interesting!

HARRIS’S STANCE: The Harris campaign has asked Kelly for vetting materials, according to NBC News. Bloomberg reports that he is one of the three candidates on Harris’s short list.

KELLY’S STANCE: In his X post endorsing Harris, he said, “Gabby and I will do everything we can to elect her President of the United States.” He has not commented publicly on the possibility of being her running mate.

AUDITION CLIP: Here’s video of Kelly blasting J.D. Vance for his stance on abortion rights:

PROS: Andy Beshear is a two-term Democratic governor from the very red state of Kentucky. The former state attorney general’s election to the governorship in 2019 was seen as a possible fluke until last year when he beat his Trump-backed challenger by five percentage points. Beshear accomplished this partly by focusing on state issues, but he also championed abortion rights, a key issue for Democrats in 2024. As a moderate who has worked with Republicans and often talks about his Christian faith, he could be appealing to swing voters.

CONS: At 46, Beshear is one of the youngest governors in the nation. That could be a positive in an election focused on the candidates’ ages, but it could also underscore the governor’s lack of experience on the national stage. While Kentuckians embraced Beshear, it’s highly unlikely he’ll deliver the ruby-red state for Democrats; Trump won Kentucky handily in 2016 and 2020. Beshear may not be much help to Democrats in the key states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, either.

HARRIS’S STANCE: The Harris campaign has asked Beshear to submit vetting materials, according to ABC News.

BESHEAR’S STANCE: On the day after Biden dropped out, Beshear was asked on Morning Joe if he would consider being Harris’s VP. “I think if somebody calls you on that, what you do is at least listen,” he said.

AUDITION CLIP: Here’s video of Beshear taking a shot at J.D. Vance on July 22:

PROS: Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential run transformed him from the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to the most well known politician on this list. “Mayor Pete,” a 42-year-old former Rhodes Scholar and Navy veteran, won the 2020 Iowa caucuses and finished second in the New Hampshire primary before dropping out of the race and endorsing Biden. He joined the Biden administration as Transportation secretary, becoming the first openly gay Cabinet member. Buttigieg is raising twins with his husband, Chasten, in Michigan (conveniently, Chasten’s home state is a major 2024 battleground). Buttigieg is well spoken and has been one of the Biden campaign’s most visible surrogates.

CONS: Buttigieg struggled to attract Black voters in the 2020 election. He oversaw a number of transit crises during his time as secretary, with mixed reviews.

BUTTIGIEG’S STANCE: When Rachel Maddow asked Buttigieg if he’d consider being VP on July 22 he seemed open to the idea. Maddow said, “If she asked, are you saying you wouldn’t say no?” He replied, “Sure. We’re just not in that mode right now. You know, we’re on the second day since the president made his decision, and I trust her.”

AUDITION CLIP: Here’s video of Buttigieg smoothly taking down J.D. Vance on Real Time With Bill Maher, days before Biden dropped out:

PROS: Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer is the popular two-term governor of a battleground state. The 52-year-old has widely been considered a future presidential contender since she won reelection in 2022 by nearly 11 percentage points. She had been co-chair of the Biden campaign and will stay on now that Harris is leading the ticket.

CONS: Running the first all-female presidential ticket is a risky move for Democrats.

HARRIS’S STANCE: The Harris campaign has asked Whitmer for vetting materials, according to NBC News.

WHITMER’S STANCE: She has “communicated to senior party leaders” that she is not interested in serving as Harris’s VP, according to The Hill. Her public response to the question on July 22 seemed to back that up. “I am not leaving Michigan,” she said. “I am proud to be the governor of Michigan. I have been consistent. I know everyone is always suspicious and asking this question over and over again … I am not going anywhere.”

AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Whitmer explaining why she’s “fired up” about Harris on July 22:

PROS: J.B. Pritzker is the popular second-term governor of Illinois. He has been an outspoken defender of abortion rights, and his nonprofit group, Think Big America, has funded abortion-rights efforts across the country. Pritzker has also been an active Biden campaign surrogate and is know for aggressively attacking Trump. Perhaps most important, Pritzker is loaded: The Hyatt Hotels heir has an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion. He has self-financed campaigns in the past and could help ensure that money is not a problem for the Democratic ticket.

CONS: Illinois is a blue state, so a Pritzker pick won’t really help Democrats in the Electoral College. He’s not very well known nationally, and putting the richest U.S. politician on the ticket may not go over well with some voters.

PRITZKER’S STANCE: He endorsed Harris, saying, “She represents our party’s best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November, and I will work my heart out to help her do that.” He has yet to comment on potentially being her VP.

AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Pritzker telling everyone what he really thinks about Trump:

PROS: Wes Moore has been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party since he was elected governor of Maryland in 2022, becoming just the third Black person ever to be elected governor in the U.S. The 45-year-old is a former Rhodes Scholar, an Army combat veteran, and the former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, an anti-poverty nonprofit.

CONS: While Moore drew some national attention for his handling of the recent Baltimore bridge collapse, he is a far less experienced politician than some other potential VPs.

MOORE’S STANCE: Moore endorsed Harris, saying, “She is the fighter we need at this moment to realize the full promise of our nation.” He has not commented on the possibility of being Harris’s running mate.

AUDITION CLIP: Here’s a clip from Moore’s 2022 victory speech:

PROS: California governor Gavin Newsom clearly has his eye on the White House. In recent years, he has built a name for himself nationally, often taking on Trump and red-state governors like Ron DeSantis, whom he debated last year.

CONS: Though Newsom keeps being floated as a potential Harris running mate, it’s highly unlikely that she would pick him. Putting two Californians on the Democratic ticket would create a constitutional issue under the 12th Amendment, just as it would have for fellow Floridians Trump and Marco Rubio. Also, putting the former mayor of liberal San Francisco on the ticket would be a gift to Republicans.

NEWSOM’S STANCE: Like Whitmer, he has “communicated to senior party leaders” that he is not interested in serving as Harris’s VP, according to The Hill.

AUDITION CLIP: Here’s Newsom calling out Trump’s corruption after the first 2024 presidential debate, while saying he would still work with him on policy matters: