Politics

Four Top Potential Veep List For Kamala As One Bows Out

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[The United States Senate, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]
Walt RasingerBy
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One potential challenger to Kamala Harris’ rise to the top of the ticket has announced that she will not accept the vice presidential nomination.

Yesterday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that she would not throw her hat in the ring at the convention. Today, she says she just wants to stay in her home state and won’t be part of this shotgun wedding ticket the Democrats have put together.

The Washington Examiner wrote that the Democratic rising star, who allegedly was the person Biden actually wanted to be his vice president instead of Kamala Harris, issued a clear statement.

The Michigan governor endorsed Harris earlier on Monday, a day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential election and endorsed Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket. Whitmer told WLNS on Monday that she is “not going anywhere” when asked if she would accept being the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee.

“I am not leaving Michigan. I am proud to be the governor of Michigan, I’ve been consistent. I know everyone is always suspicious and asking this question over and over again,” Whitmer said.

When asked about why she waited until Monday to endorse Harris, Whitmer said she wanted the dust to settle before deciding what to do after Biden dropped out of the campaign.

“I think everyone was surprised by the news yesterday, even though there was a lot of conversations about it and that means co-chair included. So I wanted a minute to check in with all my colleagues and let the dust settle and I’m proud to be supporting the vice president for president,” the governor said.

Whitmer’s statement follows new polling showing that Harris is starting out in a deep, deep hole against Donald Trump. A Harris/X Poll showed the vice president is down double digits against the former president.

Harris has long been considered one of the worst vice presidents in history. In 2023, for example, 49 percent of the country said they held a negative view of the vice president, marking the lowest approval of any vice president in history.

Whitmer may have declined because she knows that she will not be the Harris shortlist anyway. CNN offered a handful of names that are allegedly near the top for joining the Democratic ticket.

“Here are some potential candidates to run alongside Harris:

Roy Cooper

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper leads a state that is a crucial battleground in 2024. He was narrowly elected for the first time in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes. He won reelection in 2020 and is term-limited out of running for a third time. He endorsed Harris on Sunday, saying she “has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity.”

Throughout his time as governor, Cooper has clashed with lawmakers in the state legislature, where Republicans have a supermajority, over abortion rights and voting rights, among other things.

Mark Kelly

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly represents a state that Biden won by only 10,457 votes in 2020 and has national name recognition both as a former astronaut and the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords.

Andy Beshear

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has been floated as a possible vice-presidential candidate. He won reelection to a second term last November in a deep-red state that Trump carried by about 25 points in 2020. He’s the top elected Democrat in the Bluegrass state and made abortion a major issue in his campaign.

Pete Buttigieg

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg styled himself as a centrist during his 2020 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, leaning in on his time as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and his service in the Afghanistan War. His presidential run was historic: He was the first openly gay man to launch a competitive campaign for president, he broke barriers by becoming the first gay candidate to earn primary delegates for a major party’s presidential nomination, and also became the first Senate-confirmed out LGBTQ Cabinet secretary in history.”

CNN’s John King also said that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro could be considered on the shortlist, btu because of the Democratic Party’s antisemitism problem, his religion may make it impossible to be selected.

[Read More: How Nancy Pelosi Took Biden Out]

 

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