- Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris on Sunday after dropping out of the presidential race.
- Harris would likely choose a relatively moderate white man as her running mate.
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.
People close to the Biden-Harris campaign told the Times that 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.
Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina
A Southern moderate, Cooper 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 when she was the attorney general in California during that time. Some Democrats think North Carolina is up for grabs in November and that Cooper could help flip the state.
Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky
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.
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania
Shapiro has something that the White House sorely lacks at the moment: good polling numbers. A January poll 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 could help tip the scales in Democrats' favor.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
Kelly has defied expectations by winning two races in historically red Arizona: once in a special election for the Senate seat in 2020 and again in 2022, when a red wave was expected under the Biden administration.
A Harris-Kelly ticket could be persuasive for a battleground state like Arizona, where Biden won with less than 11,000 votes.
This story was originally published on July 9. It has been updated in light of Biden's announcement that he is withdrawing from the presidential race.