Washington: After President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, triggered a competition among rising candidates within the Democratic Party vying to become Harris’ running mate.
Speculations quickly mounted for their preferred picks. The names commonly mentioned as potential replacements for Biden at the top of the ticket are mostly governors who actively supported the ‘Biden-Harris’ campaign and enjoy strong approval ratings in their respective states, making them likely frontrunners for Harris’ vice-presidential candidate, as per Forbes.
Here are the top candidates:
1. Gavin Newsom
California Governor Gavin has always defended Biden despite his poor debate performance against Donald Trump last month. However, there could be a slight disadvantage in the VP replacement race since he represents a safe blue state.
2. Roy Cooper
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper campaigned with Harris in North Carolina this week, raising speculations that he could run alongside her, something that Former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean told CNN. Dean predicted that Democrats would win in the state.
3. Tim Walz
Among the list of possible running mates, comes Tim Walz, who as per Rep. etty McCollum, D-Minn, can serve as Harris’ running mate as Walz acknowledged Biden had a “poor night” in a PBS interview after the debate.
4. Andy Beshear
Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s governor has won his deep-red state twice and is one of the most prominent pick for the Number 2 spot on a new Democratic ticket.
However, Kentucky is not seen as a likely pickup in November and Beshear’s departure to the White House would leave the state without any Democrats.
5. Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has long been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, and a Harris-Whitmer ticket would represent the first-ever all-women ticket in history, described by Pitney as “intriguing.”
Gretchen’s position in Michigan can help the Democratic Party to win back voters who abandoned the party following Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas war.
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