Two leading candidates have emerged in the race for the position of likely Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The New York Post According to reports, it is becoming increasingly likely that Harris will nominate Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly as her running mate.
Shapiro, 51, and Kelly, 60, each represent the swing states that Democrats must win in November 2024.
“Shapiro is way ahead,” said an insider familiar with the back and forth. “A lockdown in Pennsylvania would change the entire course of the race.”
Another prominent Democrat on Capitol Hill warned that talks were still “in flux.”
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump turned the long-blue Keystone State of Pennsylvania red in the 2016 election.
Arizona, won by President Joe Biden and Ms Harris in 2020, is not as critical as Pennsylvania but could remain in the Democratic column with Mr Kelly on her ballot, supporters said.
A Democratic congressman said Mr Kelly brings his own list of positive aspects.
“Astronaut, safe choice, Gabby Giffords,” the source said, referring to Kelly's previous profession and his wife, a politician who survived a shooting at a campaign rally in Tucson in 2011.
Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Republican Senator from Arizona John McCain, said Kelly was “absolutely” a front-runner.
“He and his wife Gabby are very popular and respected in Arizona. His military and NASA background is obviously very compelling and inspiring. He is a dangerous choice for Republicans,” she said.
Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Kelly also have their disadvantages.
Because of his uncompromising support of Israel and his tough stance against Hamas supporters at the University of Pennsylvania and other campuses, Mr. Shapiro is loathed by pro-Hamas activists, and left-wing activists implored Harris not to select him.
Progressives on X, including New York City Councilor Chi Ossé, have publicly urged Ms. Harris not to vote for Mr. Shapiro.
“Madam Vice President @KamalaHarris, if you select @JoshShapiroPA it will damage your standing with young voters – anyone but him, please,” he urged.
Mr. Shapiro was also accused by a state Democrat of not responding quickly enough to a complaint of sexual misconduct against one of his top aides.
Mr Kelly, on the other hand, will retain his fickle Senate seat in Arizona as long as he remains in office, and if he leaves, it could easily be recaptured by Republicans in the next election cycle.
Insiders say Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer might not be comfortable leaving such a rock-solid asset on the floor. A spokesman for Mr Schumer declined to comment.
The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, and the governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, are in reserve.
While neither state carries as much weight for Democrats nationally as Pennsylvania or Arizona, both men have experience appealing to moderate voters who may be turned off by Ms Harris's history of far-left political stances.
Cooper has won six statewide elections over two decades in reliably Republican North Carolina, while Beshear could weaken the appeal of Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance among Appalachian voters.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
