Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro during a visit to the Reading Terminal Market, July 13, 2024, in Philadelphia: Reuters via ABC/NAJ screen shot

By Glynn Wilson –

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Kamala Harris is on track to pick a vice presidential running mate by August 7, according to the schedule established by the Democratic Party to formally nominate its ticket in preparation for the national convention in Chicago beginning August 19.

Who will it be? Someone on the known list of contenders already being talked about? Or someone new?

According to reporting from the Washington Post on Tuesday, Harris is planning a tour of the battleground states with the choice next week, which suggests the announcement could come before the deadline.

The candidates who have not taken themselves out of the running such as North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have been working events for the campaign and hitting the airwaves with media appearances.

The candidate with the most momentum, according to the Post, is Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz: NAJ screen shot

“Nobody’s stock has risen over the past week as much as (Walt),” the Post says, “who was previously thought to be something of a dark horse for the job.”

Walz has pushed himself into the conversation with a barrage of media appearances in which he’s played up his rural roots and everyman appeal. Perhaps nobody has “campaigned” for the job quite as much as he has.

Perhaps the best argument for Walz is how he’s seeded the biggest emerging Democratic talking point: that the GOP ticket is “weird.” Walz almost seemed to stumble upon it a week ago, but it quickly took hold as a hashtag.

To the extent this Veep pick is about taking the fight to Republicans, Walz has some real competition for that job from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has also been all over the airwaves.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: NAJ screen this

And while Walz is the hot new thing, Buttigieg has been doing this kind of thing for years — even going on Fox News to joust with its hosts. An appearance this past Sunday in which Buttigieg declined to accept the Fox host’s premises has been shared far and wide on the left. His appearance on Bill Maher’s show on HBO was not so great, however.

While those two candidates might be the insurgents, two potential swing-state picks thought to be leading contenders from the start still loom large — particularly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.

Shapiro has been touring his home state in a potential preview of what he could provide the Harris campaign in that critical, must win state. Shapiro’s favorable rating in Pennsylvania is 61 percent, according to one poll, compared to just 32 percent unfavorable. Even 30 percent of Donald Trump supporters said they liked him. He also led Trump by 10 points in a hypothetical matchup as the party’s nominee.

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly: NAJ screen shot

Kelly has been quieter than these other candidates, and he maintains a lower profile. But an ABC News/Ipsos poll this week showed him with the best net image rating of any of the potential picks. I suspect the people of Arizona would like to keep him there in John McCain’s old seat.

While other candidates have gone after J.D. Vance to some extent, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has focused his pitch extensively on the Republican vice-presidential pick. He’s called Vance a “phony” who has “exploited” and exaggerated his ties to eastern Kentucky and Appalachia. He’s even said he would be eager to debate Vance. I like this guy, but Harris will never carry Kentucky, a red state, and I’m sure the Democrats there would like to keep him at home. He is a rising star for the Democratic Party for sure.

KentuckyGovernor Andy Beshear: Facebook/NAJ screen shot

The Post also mentions Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo as potential picks. But there’s not much time left for a dark horse to pick up enough attention and momentum to make the short list.

My Pick

I like Shapiro myself since Pennsylvania is such a must win state. I also suspect he would be someone Harris could work well with. But I’m sure the Democrats in that state would rather keep him where he is. I will be asking them about that on Thursday, when I will be in Gettysburg and will make a stop in the Democratic Party headquarters there.

There are other jobs for Walz and the others in the administration, if they want them.

Who do you like and why?

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