The Democrats who could challenge Kamala Harris for the nomination or become her running mate

While many democrats have endorsed Harris following Biden, others have remained quiet. According to Reuters, there are plenty of doubts inside the party about whether Harris can beat Trump, and some Democrats have suggested to hold a “mini-primary” before the August convention.

But who could challenge Harris for the nomination, or become her running mate if she becomes the official candidate? These are some of the top names that have come up as potential VP contenders or nominee challengers:

Beshear, 46, entered the national conversation following his five-point victory in Kentucky in November, according to NBC News, a significant win for Democrats in a deeply red state. He’s one of the few democrats that hasn’t endorsed Harris as Biden’s successor.

Pritzker, 59, is seen as a possible presidential candidate, in part for his standing in the party and his ability to self-fund a campaign, with his family’s wealth, who started the Hyatt hotel empire,  according to Politico.

In his statement about Biden’s exit, Pritzker did not endorse Harris and instead critized Trump, saying, he’s “a 34 time convicted felon, a racist, homophobe and misogynist.”

Newsom, 56, governor since 2019, is often discussed as a potential presidential candidate but couldn’t be Harris’ running mate because they’re both from California, and under the 12th amendment, the president and vp have to be from different states.

That would leave him the option of challenging Harris for the nomination. However, Newsom was quick to endorse Harris on X saying that “no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision.”

Cooper, 67, North Carolina’s governor since 2017, is among the names of the “next generation of Democratic leaders”, House representative Jim Clyburn told Politico.

After Trump won North Carolina in 2020 by less than two percentage points, the Biden campaign has moved to target North Carolina with the hopes that it could become a swing state once again.

Moore, 45, became Maryland’s first Black governor in 2023 and is widely seen as a possible candidate for the White House in the future, according to Politico.

The young governor also has an impressive resume as a New York Times bestselling author, Rhodes Scholar, combat veteran, and former CEO of the Robin Hood foundation, an anti-poverty organization.

Kelly, 60, has served as a senator since 2020 and prior to that was a NASA astronaut and a Navy combat pilot. His wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, is a hero to grassroots Democratic organizations for her gun violence advocacy after being severely injured at a campaign rally for her reelection.

Moreover, as a border state Democrat, he has more authority to speak on migration issues, a big plus as Republicans attack Harris over the border. Kelly said on X that he and his wife will do “everything they can” to elect Harris as president of the US.

Photo: Mark with his identical twin Scott (NASA).

If Harris were to pick Shapiro, 51, as her running mate, it could bring in some extra votes from a swing state that Democrats desperately need to hold if they want to hold onto the White House, according to Politico analysts.

Like Kelly, Shapiro vowed to support Harris as the nominee and called for members of his party to unite behind her. “Kamala Harris is a patriot worthy of our support,” he wrote on X, after mentioning that he has known her for almost two decades.

Whitmer, 52, has been considered a potential 2028 successor since she won the gubernatorial race in 2022 by nearly 11 points in a battleground state.

Whitmer has said, however, that she wouldn’t run for president this year, according to NBC News. In a statement after Biden’s announcement, however, she didn’t mention an endorsement of Harris either.

Buttigieg, 42, an openly gay Navy veteran, has been one of Biden’s most visible and capable surrogates, according to NBC. On X, he praised Biden as one of “the best presidents in American history” and endorsed Kamala Harris.

If Warnock, 54, were to be the Democratic nominee, it would most likely energize Black voters across the U.S., who polls show had been flocking away from Biden, NBC reported.

A major drawback to Warnock’s leaving the Senate, however, is that Democrats would lose the seat, as under Georgia law, Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, would appoint a successor, likely another Republican.

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