Who Could Kamala Harris Choose as Her Vice Presidential Running Mate?

Beshear is a two-term Democratic governor from Kentucky, a solidly Republican state. When he first won in 2019, his victory was regarded as a fluke; Trump won the state by about 30 percentage points three years earlier. But last year, Beshear easily won re-election. He has emphasized the “common good,” working with Republicans on legislation, including the legalization of medical marijuana, and often talks about his Christian faith. It’s a message that could be particularly appealing for Democrats as they try to win over moderate white voters in the suburbs. Of all the candidates on the list, Beshear might be the least-known outside his state, though the burst of attention he would receive if Ms. Harris tapped him would rectify that.

Cooper is the governor of what might at best be called a swing-adjacent state — Barack Obama in 2008 was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win it. Picking Cooper might put it in play, or at least force the Trump campaign to invest money in the state. In 2020, when Trump won the state by 1.3 percentage points, Cooper was re-elected by 4 points. But he is term-limited, so he cannot run again. And one stumbling block for Cooper is that when he leaves the state, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a very conservative Republican who is running for governor, is elevated to acting governor. There are legal questions about how much Robinson can actually do, but Democrats are wary about Cooper waging a travel-filled national campaign.

The Arizona senator rose to national prominence after his wife, Representative Gabby Giffords, survived an assassination attempt in 2011. Kelly, a Navy veteran and a former astronaut, began campaigning for stricter gun control, eventually winning his Senate seat in 2020. He has carved out an image as a moderate in Arizona, building a coalition that relied on white women in the suburbs as well as young Latino voters who were crucial in delivering the state to Joe Biden in 2020. That kind of coalition is likely to be essential if Democrats hope to hold on to the White House. And Kelly could potentially help Ms. Harris in other battleground states.

Pritzker has been the governor of Illinois since 2019. It’s not a battleground state, but he is a billionaire and could pour his own money into the campaign. That’s no small matter, because Trump has had an avalanche of financial support in recent months. Pritzker — who would be the second Jewish running mate on a major-party ticket in history if he were picked — has drawn Democratic attention with his attacks on Trump. “Do they really want a president who is a felon who faces jail time?” Pritzker said in June.

Shapiro was elected as governor in 2022 after serving as the state’s attorney general. Pennsylvania is a must-win state for his party, and Shapiro’s stock among Democrats rose after he swamped his Republican opponent for governor, Doug Mastriano, winning 56 percent of the vote. As demonstrations against Israel spread across campuses this fall, Shapiro — who is also Jewish — denounced the rise in antisemitism after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel. He also won praise for overseeing quick repairs after a bridge collapse on Interstate 95 last year. For Democrats, Shapiro’s biggest draw is likely the political strength he has displayed in this critical state, reflected in impressive approval ratings.

Walz is a former member of Congress and retired educator who has served as governor of Minnesota since 2019. As governor, he deployed the National Guard to Minneapolis to help quell the riots over the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police. While in Congress, he was the rare Democrat representing a rural part of the state, suggesting a kind of political appeal that could be attractive to Harris. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the head of the Democratic Governors Association.