Two Emerge For Harris Campaign VP Nominee

Two MAIN Frontrunners For Harris’ VP

Two front-runners for presumed Presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s VP seat are Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

 

Kelly, 60, and Shapiro, 51, each represent swing states in 2024 that Democrats desperately need to win in November.

 

“Shapiro is toward the top,” said one insider familiar with the back and forth. “Locking down Pennsylvania would change the entire trajectory of the race.”

 

Talks were still “fluid,” a key Democrat on the Hill cautioned.

 

The traditionally blue Keystone state was famously turned crimson in the 2016 election by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

 

Supporters claimed that with Kelly on her ticket, Arizona, which President Biden and Senator Harris won in 2020, may remain in the Democratic column even if it is not as important as Pennsylvania.

 

Kelly has his own set of advantages, according to a Democratic representative.

 

“Astronaut, safe choice, Gabby Giffords,” said the source, referring to Kelly’s former occupation and his politician wife, who survived a shooting at a 2011 constituent event in Tucson.

Meghan McCain, the daughter of late Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain, stated that Kelly was “absolutely” the front-runner.

 

“He and his wife Gabby are very well-liked and respected in Arizona. His military and NASA background is very compelling and inspirational. He is a dangerous choice for Republicans,” she said.

 

Kelly and Shapiro are not without their flaws.

 

Left-leaning groups are pleading with Harris not to choose Shapiro because they detest his unwavering support of Israel and his firm stance against Hamas supporters at the University of Pennsylvania and other campuses.

 

Progressives on X, such as Chi Ossé, the councilman for New York City, have openly pushed Harris not to pick the Jewish politician.

 

“Madam Vice President @KamalaHarris picking @JoshShapiroPA will harm the momentum that you have with youth voters – anyone but him please,” he urged. One statewide Dem has also accused Shapiro of not moving fast enough to address a sexual misconduct complaint against one of his top staffers.

 

In contrast, Kelly ensures that his erratic Arizona Senate seat stays safe and blue for the whole of his term. If he were to depart, Republicans could easily reclaim it in the ensuing election season.

 

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, according to insiders, may be reluctant to let such a stalwart member depart the chamber. A Schumer representative opted not to respond.

 

Governors Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Andy Beshear of Kentucky are holding back.

 

Even though neither Arizona nor Pennsylvania are as competitive nationally for Democrats as Arizona or Pennsylvania are, both men have experience winning over moderate voters who may be turned off by Harris’ past advocacy of extreme leftist policies.

 

In consistently red North Carolina, Cooper has triumphed in six state general elections over the past 20 years, but Beshear may lessen the appeal of Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance to Appalachian voters.