Op/ed: To Find a VP, Harris Should Look to Swing States

With Vice President Kamala Harris appearing increasingly likely to top the Democrats’ ballot this fall after President Biden pulled out of the race, the next question on her election agenda is who she’ll tap for her own vice presidential candidate.

Although the best political science analyses suggest vice president picks generally have little to do with the election outcome, tiny margins matter in key swing states in this election, mandating a wise pick, writes Aaron Mannes, a lecturer and research associate in the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, in a new essay in Newsweek.

The top priority in a VP pick is to do no harm to your own campaign. A running mate should appear credibly presidential. When a presidential candidate chooses their running mate, they are effectively saying that they believe their running mate is of presidential timber. Picks who are clearly unqualified for the presidency, like John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin in 2008, should be avoided at all costs.

Enough preliminaries, everyone wants names! Who will Harris pick?

At the top of the list are a bunch of governors from swing states: Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear isn't from a swing state, but he is a Democrat who won three statewide elections in deep-red Kentucky. Finally, Arizona Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly would add star power (no pun intended) to the ticket.

Read the rest in Newsweek.