Washington: Vice President Kamala Harris became the clear favourite for her party's nomination as possible rivals lined up to follow President Joe Biden's lead and endorse her.
Republican nominee Donald Trump's campaign has already intensified its attacks on Harris, seeing her as the likely heir to Biden. Now the big question is who she will ask to join her on the ticket.
Here's a look at some possible picks:
The Swing-State Governor - Gretchen Whitmer (Age 52)
The Michigan governor since 2019, Whitmer embraced tough lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic, facing tremendous pushback from some of her constituents and Republicans nationwide. But she handily won reelection in 2022 and her popularity has meant she has long been floated as a potential presidential candidate, even though a two-woman ticket would be unprecedented in an already tumultuous campaign. She was even vetted for the vice president role in 2020 and served as co-chair of Biden's campaign. She took herself out of the running for the top job the same day Biden dropped out. Whitmer was the target of a kidnapping plot for which more than a dozen men were arrested. "My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump," she said in a post on X on Sunday.
The Dealmaker - JB Pritzker (59)
"The Illinois governor has emerged as a key Democratic power broker, using his family wealth "- $4.3 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index "- to support candidates and causes. He used his power and influence to win the placing of the Democratic National Convention next month in his hometown of Chicago, a huge economic boom for the city and state. Like California Governor Gavin Newsom, he publicly supported Biden but was caught on a hot mic saying "I don't like where we are" in mid-July. He still frequently notes that Trump is a convicted felon and "congenital liar."
The Keystone Candidate - Josh Shapiro (51)
The Pennsylvania governor since 2023, Shapiro established himself as a rising young star in the party with a dominant election win in 2022 and enjoys strong approval ratings in the battleground state. A former state attorney general, he gained national attention pushing back against Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. As governor, Shapiro adopted the slogan "Get s"-"- done," which was on display last year when he oversaw the rapid repair of a key stretch of Interstate 95, two weeks after a fiery crash caused an overpass to collapse. That prompted one newspaper in Germany to call the feat "a small miracle." Shapiro would be the second Jewish vice presidential candidate, though the first, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman was defeated with Al Gore. Shapiro has endorsed Harris for president.
The Southerner - Andy Beshear (46)
The popular governor of Kentucky was reelected to a second term last November in a state Trump carried by 26 percentage points in 2020. Beshear has won praise for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters including devastating flooding and tornadoes. He's touted low unemployment in the state and economic development, including landing two large electric-vehicle battery plants. As a vice presidential pick, he would balance Californian Harris geographically.
The New Guy - Wes Moore (45)
The first Black governor of Maryland is seen as one of the brightest stars in the Democratic Party and frequently cited as a future presidential candidate. He worked closely with the White House after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed this year in Baltimore, briefly raising his national profile. Moore was deployed to Afghanistan and led troops before serving as a White House Fellow for then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Moore spent time on Wall Street at Deutsche Bank and Citigroup. He later ran the Robin Hood Foundation, the finance-backed non-profit that works to alleviate poverty in New York, where he forged ties with Republican and Democratic mega-donors. He intends to endorse Harris on Monday, according to someone familiar with his plans.
The Cabinet Member - Pete Buttigieg (42)
The US transportation secretary ran an improbable presidential primary campaign in 2019 and 2020 from his perch as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Yet Buttigieg won the Iowa caucuses and came in second in New Hampshire in 2020, embarrassing the elder statesman Biden who then turned to Black voters in South Carolina to jump-start his sagging campaign. A Navy veteran of the Afghan war, Buttigieg is a Millennial several generations younger than Biden. He would be the first openly gay man to be nominated for vice president. He's made his Cabinet post higher profile than some of his predecessors, selling Biden's infrastructure plan and making high-profile criticisms of Boeing and other transportation companies.
The Astronaut - Mark Kelly (60)
The senator from swing state Arizona holds a seat previously filled by two failed Republican presidential nominees, John McCain and Barry Goldwater. Like Buttigieg, the retired astronaut and Gulf War veteran would lend significant national security bonafides to a Democratic presidential ticket. He also would appeal to those on the left for his work on gun control since the 2011 assassination attempt of his wife, then-Arizona Representative Gabby Giffords, who endorsed Harris. Hailing from a border state, he's a moderate on immigration and could help neutralize Republican attacks on the Biden administration's handling of the influx of immigrants along the Mexican border.
The Other Californian - Gavin Newsom - (56)
One of Biden's most loyal surrogates, Newsom remained vocally supportive of Biden since the June 27 debate and attended a meeting Biden held with Democratic governors in Washington on July 3. Even if he doesn't replace Biden on the 2024 ticket, a presidential run by the California governor is a "no brainer," according to his Republican predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Although Newsom's a high-profile governor, nearly a third of swing-state voters didn't know who he was or had no opinion of him in the early July Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll. That indicates he'd have to introduce himself to voters outside of California with only a few months to go until Election Day if he took over the Democratic campaign now. Newsom endorsed Harris on Sunday and being from her home state, he is unlikely to be chosen to serve under her as vice president.
