[Added on August 4, 2024 at 15:06 Swiss time: According to CNN, Kamala Harris’s VP choice is down to Josh Shapiro, Tim Walz and Mark Kelly. She will meet each of them today. My favorite is clearly Josh Shapiro, the governor of the must-win swing state Pennsylvania].
The Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris will soon announce who will be her running mate. She should obviously chose a centrist with executive experience who can win over independents and moderate Republicans. Since the governors Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom have publicly excluded to run, there are a few choices left. Top of my list and, more importantly, of Kamala Harris’s list are the governors of Kentucky Andy Beshear (*1977) and of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro (*1973).
Against the popular Andy Beshear speaks the fact that Kentucky is not a battleground state. But he is a Democrat governing a deep-red state. He can appeal to GOP voters both in Kentucky and in neighboring “rust belt”, “flyover country” states. Like Kamala Harris, Andy Beshear is a former attorney general. Against him speaks the lack of foreign policy experience.
Josh Shapiro is equally popular. His advantage is that he is the governor of Pennsylvania, a must-win state for Kamala Harris. Like Kamala Harris and Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro is a former attorney general. But he is Jewish. Kamala Harris, of Jamaican and Indian descent, has a Jewish husband. Some think that, because of the Gaza war, the Jewish connection could hurt Democrats in Michigan, another must-win state.
In defense of Josh Shapiro one must add that he is no cheerleader of the shady Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his government, which includes the extremists Ben Gvir and Smotrich. In January 2024, he called Netanyahu “one of the worst leaders of all time” and requested an “immediate two-state solution”. In an interview in March, Josh Shapiro said: “… we also can’t ignore the death and the destruction that’s occurred in Gaza. For those who are peacefully protesting, I support their right to do that and I’ll defend that, and I want to make sure they feel heard. And I think in Pennsylvania, they do feel heard.” In other words, it is not sure that the fact that Josh Shapiro is Jewish would hurt Democrats in swing states with an important Muslim population.
In addition, the Gaza war is not among the top priority of voters. According to a national New York Times-Siena College poll taken in June 2024, likely voters care most about the economy (23%) and immigration (17%), while just 2% said the same about “The Middle East/Israel/Palestinians”. The question is how many of the 2% are Muslims in swing states.
The office of U.S. Vice President does not come with much power. But the VP presides over the Senate. Therefore, bipartisan appeal is crucial. Shapiro and Beshear can both work across the aisle, as they have shown as governors in their resprective states. In addition, as potential president, a VP should have executive experience. The governors Beshear and Shapiro bring this to the table too.
Dear Kamala Harris, do not chose someone like Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona. As a former astronaut and husband to Representative Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, he is popular and can work across the aisle, but he lacks executive experience, which is crucial if you are just one heartbeat away from the presidency.
Luckily, with J.D. Vance, former president Trump chose a MAGA cheerleader with no appeal to moderate Republicans and independents as his vice presidential candidate. Therefore, Kamala Harris’s choice of a moderate, centrist politician as running mate could hurt the Republican ticket in the swing states, which will decide the 2024 presidential election.
Three more candidates are still in the VP race: Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, the Jewish billionaire of Ukrainian descent, investor, co-owner of the Hyatt hotel chain and Governor of Illinois Jay Robert aka J.B. Pritzker as well as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro or another moderate with executive experience, who can appeal to Republicans and independents in swing states, look like safe choices. Let’s hope Kamala Harris and her team have done their job, carefully vetting the potential candidates.
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Photograph showing Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, speaking to an audience from the Capitol steps in Frankfort, Kentucky, as part of Inauguration Day events marking the beginning of his second term in office on December 12, 2023. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Dale Greer. Photograph in the public domain.
Article added on August 3, 2024 at 14:56 Swiss time. Last update added at 16.47.
