Shortly after he announced he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, President Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. Should Harris become the Democratic nominee — a likely but not guaranteed outcome — she would probably choose a moderate white man as her running mate, two people close to the Biden-Harris camp told The New York Times.
Harris would become the first Black and Asian American female presidential nominee of a major party, and a running mate who looks like nearly all former US presidents would likely temper the jolt to the status quo in this age of identity politics. Govs. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania are emerging as candidates, as is Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, the people close to the Biden-Harris campaign said.
Cooper looks like the favorite right now. A Southern moderate, he has worked alongside North Carolina’s Republican-led Legislature since winning a tough battle for the governorship in 2016. Before serving as governor, Cooper was the state’s attorney general for nearly 16 years. He met Harris during that time, when she was the attorney general in California. Some Democrats think that North Carolina is up for grabs in November and that Cooper could help flip the state.
As the governor of Kentucky, Beshear doesn’t offer the same opportunity to turn a red state blue. He did, however, attract some attention after winning another term in deep-red Kentucky last year. Beshear also served as attorney general before his governorship, giving him an additional point of connection to Harris.
Shapiro has something that the White House sorely lacks at the moment: good polling numbers. A poll from January found he had a higher approval rating than other recent Pennsylvania governors, with 59% approving of his performance. Pennsylvania is a key swing state, and Beshear’s popularity there could help tip the scales in Democrats’ favor.
This story was originally published July 9. It has been updated in light of Biden’s announcement that he was bowing out of the presidential race.
