Kamala's Exclusive Eleven

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly has the Democratic nomination for President locked up at this point and the party will be formally nominating her by some form of "virtual" vote within the next few days.  Harris, who is in a time crunch - with early voting in some states beginning weeks before the actual Election Day of  November 5th, and the election itself only 101 days away - will immediately have to pivot from her own nomination and make a selection for a running mate, one of the most important decisions she will face.

Harris has a vetting team in place which is headed by former US Attorney General Eric Holder and staffed with personnel from two prominent law firms.  They have already sent out vetting materials, according to various news reports, to "up to a dozen individuals" and including one who is not is not in government service.    News articles available on the internet lists some of the twelve, but I could not find the entire list anywhere.  Using a metaphorical shovel, I dug through those articles and believe that I have unearthed eleven.  The list includes seven governors, one senator, two cabinet secretaries, and a celebrity billionaire who gets under Trump's thin skin.  

Kamala's Exclusive Eleven include (in alphabetical order):

1.   Andy Beshear  (Governor of Kentucky):  (age 46)  Very popular governor of a Red state.  Beshear will be termed out of office when his current term expires in 2027.  He is a former attorney general of the state and the son of a former governor.  Kentucky will not be in play in the upcoming presidential race, but Beshear on the Democratic ticket is seen as something which would detract from the supposed Appalachian relevance of GOP veep candidate JD Vance.  Beshear is young, photogenic, and a good public speaker.

2.   Pete Buttigieg    (US Transportation Secretary):  (age 42)   The former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, also served as an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserve and in Afghanistan.  Buttigieg ran for President in 2020 and did well in the Iowa caucuses (which he may have actually won) and the New Hampshire primary where he placed second.  He is gay, and he and his husband are adoptive parents to three-year-old fraternal twins, a boy and a girl.  Secretary Pete is known for his quick mind and penchant for taking a fight directly to the source.  He has often appeared on the Fox network.

3.  Roy Cooper   (Governor of North Carolina):  (age 67)   Democratic presidential candidates haven't won North Carolina since 2008, but Biden came close in 2020 - and Harris apparently sees it as a definite possibility for a pickup.  She has visited the state numerous times and reportedly has a strong friendship with Governor Cooper.  Cooper's drawbacks include his age, and the fact that the lieutenant governor in North Carolina assumes the governor's powers whenever the governor is out of the state - and the current lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, is a Republican currently running for governor who is known for his extreme, and often wacky positions.  That might make it hard for Cooper to leave the state for campaigning - although he does have the power to cancel the lieutenant governor's actions when he returns to the state.

4.   Mark Cuban   (Celebrity Billionaire)    (age 65)   Cuban, who has no history in politics, recently sold his controlling inteerest in the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and has indicated that he would be interested in delving into politics.  He has also said that he might run for PTA somewhere.  Cuban voted Republican in this year's Texas presidential primary for Nikki Haley.  He has said that in a contest between Biden and Trump, he would definitely vote for Biden.   Cuban has substantial name recognition and has been a regular panelist on ABC's Shark Tank.

5.   Mark Kelly   (US Senator from Arizona)   (age 60)   Kelly, a former astronaut, is known as a centrist in  the Senate and has successfully conducted and won two statewide contests for Senator in Arizona, a fairly conservative state.  Biden won Arizona narrowly in 2020, but now Trump is perceived as having a lead in the state, and Kelly on the Democratic ticket could secure the state for Harris.   Mark Kelly is an outspoken advocate for gun control and helped to found a national organization for that cause.  He is married to former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords, who nearly died as a result of a mass shooting.  His elevation to Vice President would also bring his very compelling and well-spoken wife back onto the national scene.

6.   Gavin Newsom   (Governor of California)    (age 56)   Newsom is the well-known and well-liked governor of the nation's largest state.  He appears to be intent on becoming a national figure, but he represents the same state that is home to Kamala Harris.  According to the 12th Amendment to the US Constitution if the President and Vice-President candidates are from the same state, electoral college electors from that state cannot vote for both candidates.  It is a hiccup that could keep him from being considered.  But, Harris seems to be vetting him regardless of the hiccup.  Newsom is the former spouse of Donald Trump, Jr's long-term finance, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

7.   J. B. Pritzker   (Governor of Illinois)   (age 59)   Pritzker, a hotel (Hyatt) billionaire, has been governor of Illinois since 2019.  He is a successful businessman who had the good fortune to have been born wealthy.  Illinois should go Democratic in the 2024 presidential race regardless of whether Pritzker is on the ticket or not, nevertheless, he is apparently being vetted.

8.   Gina Raimondo   (US Secretary of Commerce)   (age 53).  Raimondo, the former Governor of Rhode Island, has served in the Biden cabinet throughout his term of office.  She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a degree in economics.   She is also a Rhodes Scholar who attended New College at Oxford.  She is married with two children.

9.   Josh Shapiro   (Governor of Pennsylvania)   (age 51)   Shapiro, a popular governor whom many believe could deliver the important swing state of Pennsylvania to the Democrats if he becomes Harris's running mate.    Shapiro is the only Jew on the veep list, which some see as an advantage for the party, but his strong support of Israel in the War in Gaza and his attitude toward student protesters in the US have fueled opposition on the party's left flank to his inclusion on the ticket.

10.  Tim Walz   (Governor of Minnesota)   (age 60)   Walz, a former public school teacher, coach, and union member who has strong support among labor.  He speaks effectively and is widely seen as a man of the people.  He has served as governor of Minnesota since 2019, a state Trump recently fantasized about winning.

11.   Gretchen Whitmer   (Governor of Michigan)   (age 52)    Whitmer is the co-chair of Harris's national campaign and has recently indicated that she is not interested in being on the ticket.  However, it does appear that she is being vetted for Vice-President.  Whitmer is widely seen as an effective governor, and her inclusion on the ticket could help to insure that Michigan lands in the Democratic column in November.  There is some concern among Democrats that exclusion of a white male on the ticket would be seen as a lack of balance.  If the Democratic Vice-Presidential nomination goes to Whitmer, Raimondo, or Shapiro, it will be the first time in history that a national ticket has not included at least one Christian male.

That's the Exclusive Eleven.  According to an article in USA earlier this week, the odds-makers have this to say:

Star Sports:  Mark Kelly in the lead followed by Shapiro, Cooper, and Beshear.

Bet 365:  Mark Kelly in the lead followed by Shapiro, Cooper, Beshear, and Buttigieg.

Bovada:  Mark Kelly in the lead followed by Shapiro, Cooper, Beshear, and Walz.

BetOnline:  Mark Kelly in the lead followed by Shapiro, Cooper, Beshear, and Walz.

Oddschecker:  Mark Kelly in the lead follow by Shapiro, Cooper, Beshear, and Buttigieg.

Place those bets!