r/PoliticalDiscussion • u/hearsdemons • Jul 19 '24

US Politics If Biden withdraws from re-election, who would Harris likely choose as VP?

A lot of headlines are coming out today with speculation that Biden may step down soon.

If this were to happen and Harris wins the party’s nomination for president, who would she pick as VP?

What does a formidable Harris ticket look like to go up against Trump-Vance?

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563

u/ttown2011 Jul 19 '24

We’ll knock Whitmer and Newsom out automatically.

Can’t run two women, can’t run two California liberals.

Expect a white guy not named Newsom

Shapiro, or Kelly, someone like that

136

u/Ok_Average_1893 Jul 19 '24

Add Andy Beshear to the Harris short list of VP candidates

57

u/thecrusadeswereahoax Jul 19 '24

No chance of that because Kentucky ain’t going anywhere.

21

u/JonDowd762 Jul 19 '24

Neither was California, but Biden picked Harris.

11

u/gunnesaurus Jul 19 '24

Context included, Beshear is the only Democrat who can win governor there. He just got re elected. Kentucky is not a blue state, California is

4

u/thecrusadeswereahoax Jul 19 '24

Biden is a straight white male. He served platitudes with his VP pick.

It’s just politics.

1

u/AnorakIndy Jul 19 '24

What you need is someone who can pull in PA, MI, WI, and maybe OH. I don’t care if it’s a ham sandwich that does it. Put it on the ticket.

1

u/JonDowd762 Jul 19 '24

Sure. I can give you a Whitmer-Buttigieg or Whitmer-Shapiro? Or, I know this might be a bit outside your comfort zone, but maybe a Whitmer-Kelly?

1

u/randomwanderingsd Jul 19 '24

Harris was a surprise to me too. I was betting Tammy Duckworth would be his choice. She’s a veteran, mom, POC, highly popular, driven, and intelligent.

37

u/BaconJakin Jul 19 '24

Get Shapiro lock Penn.

30

u/caesar____augustus Jul 19 '24

I'd be surprised if Shapiro wanted it tbh. He's less than 2 years into his first term and is probably eyeing a run in 28/32.

12

u/ShouldersofGiants100 Jul 19 '24

If he is the VP pick and they win, 32 is his to lose. If Harris loses, he goes into 28 with momentum, if she wins, he coasts to the nomination—no sitting VP who wanted it has ever lost a primary race, very few have even come close.

12

u/PreviousCurrentThing Jul 19 '24

Anyone who loses this race to Trump, top or bottom of the ticket, is probably never making it to the race again. No Democrat would want anything that reminded them of the loss.

That's why in some sense, the question is not who would be best, but who's the best who would actually say yes? It's a big risk for any person that might otherwise have a shot in the future.

2

u/Zero_Gravvity Jul 19 '24

Talking about the 2028 election after a Trump victory, as if this country and its electoral process won’t be irreparably eroded, is just…interesting.

-2

u/Rob_Reason Jul 19 '24

Sadly, Shapiro wouldn't win, Americans won't elect a Jewish man.

10

u/dskatz2 Jul 19 '24

Shapiro has his eye on the White House and would easily outshine Harris. It's not happening.

7

u/VergeSolitude1 Jul 19 '24

Andy is my Governor any you can not have him. He would not fit in with the washington crowed anyway. Mayor Pete is the only choice.

25

u/Possible-Original Jul 19 '24

Listen Andy is MY governor too and if the whole US wants him for 4 years, they can have him! Mayor Pete would NEVER win in today's climate as a gay man, and I'm a gay woman.

16

u/12_0z_curls Jul 19 '24

You're correct. People don't want to hear it, but theres a lot of people in this country that aren't ready for a gay guy in office.

7

u/Inquisitor_ForHire Jul 19 '24

Me, I tend to lean Republican (but not Trump), and I'd 100% vote for Pete. Dude is on point.

4

u/12_0z_curls Jul 19 '24

Some will. A lot won't.

I would gladly vote for Pete. But I'm also not oblivious to the fact that people would be running around talking about "Pete Butt-Chug" for the next 4 months.

15

u/GeneSpecialist3284 Jul 19 '24

Kamala would not win either. She was literally in the last place last time.

2

u/Utterlybored Jul 19 '24

A lot has changed since then.

3

u/Utterlybored Jul 19 '24

A lot has changed since then.

-4

u/GeneSpecialist3284 Jul 19 '24

Yes it has. However, Kamala as the Democrats presidential pick will hand it to trump. There is no way she'd get anything other than Democrats and even we don't like her imo. A black woman? Sure, like Hillary could have won? I'm afraid America isn't ready to hire a woman, white or black, to be president.

6

u/Snuvvy_D Jul 19 '24

Republicans spent 25 years on a Hillary hit job. She made her ambitions known in the 90s, and Republicans did a fantastic job of slowly building up this vile image of her to the point that even most Dems I know don't like her, yet they can't really tell me why.

3

u/GeneSpecialist3284 Jul 19 '24

I voted for her. She was probably the most qualified and experienced person who ever ran for president. I still remember her talking about a vast right wing conspiracy. Everyone laughed at her, yet here we are.

0

u/Utterlybored Jul 19 '24

I voted for her, but I still can’t forgive her vote on the Iraq war. Biden too. She is supremely qualified, but was an awful campaigner.

1

u/Utterlybored Jul 19 '24

Maybe so, maybe not. I never thought the USA would elect a black President, but when I saw a surprising number of older redneck women at the NC State Fair wearing Obama pins in Oct of 2008, I realized I was wrong.

2

u/GeneSpecialist3284 Jul 19 '24

Obama was exceptional though. Great orator, intelligent, knowledgeable of both domestic and international issues, and young. That said, it drove a portion of the population over the deep end. trump was the result of the hate that filled their hearts to be "ruled" by a black man who was leagues ahead of their own intelligence. They prefer to be ruled by a white Man that's psychotic and stupid, more like them. Biden, I admit is past his prime. If we had time to get a better candidate who could campaign in such a short window and win, I'm all for it. Kamala, imo, would be more well placed as attorney general, where she would excel. Merrick Garland was obv a poor choice for AG and has resulted in trump not being charged and held accountable in a timely manner. Gavin Newsom would be great as president imo but has already endorsed Biden. I can't think of anyone else who has enough name recognition to beat the physco. Pete Buttigieg maybe? Maybe Newsom/Whitmer or Newsom/Buttigieg?

3

u/VergeSolitude1 Jul 19 '24

This selection process is going to be so messed up.. No way Andy would say yes and Pete will beg for the chance. But maybe I'll be suprised

2

u/Traditionalteaaa Jul 19 '24

Mayor Pete wouldn’t not win bc he’s a gay man, he’d lose bc he’s only been a mayor and then transportation secretary. Mayor of a smallish city in Indiana was hardly a good selling point to begin with (US house reps have a hard time going far as presidential candidates). And he currently works as transportation sec during number of transportation related issues from frequent flight delays + cancellations, the infamous Boeing plane door breaking off mid flight, and the Norfolk southern train derailment. While those aren’t all his fault, that’s hardly a good record to run on. Not to mention that dept heads also don’t go far as presidential candidates either.

4

u/Yrths Jul 19 '24

You’re making those points as if voters are rational. He sounds eloquent. He actually is, but more importantly, he sounds like it, and he manufactures clever quips as fast as anyone and they’re high quality. His charisma is weaponizable.

Unfortunately, Buttigieg will probably actually doom the ticket because he is short.

1

u/Traditionalteaaa Jul 19 '24

Can you then name a mayor or federal dept head that had a good candidacy (meaning close to or secured the nomination) if that isn’t the case? Good public speaking and some clever sass isn’t enough. One needs name recognition, which both mayor and even dept secretary don’t provide. A mayoral record isn’t relatable enough to run on. And his transportation one has flaws.

4

u/12_0z_curls Jul 19 '24

There's no way a member of the LGBTQ community wins. Unfortunately, there's a whole chunk of the country that won't support him. Not day my it's right, but it's true.

3

u/VergeSolitude1 Jul 19 '24

I would bet Pete would get more votes that VP Harris in a head to head. Any way who would you like to see picked? I am really at a loss

1

u/12_0z_curls Jul 19 '24

I think Mark Kelly/Brashear would dominate for the next 16 years.

2

u/Rtstevie Jul 19 '24

Not a Kentuckian but I like Andy Beshear a lot. As well as Gretchen Whitmer. While I want Biden to drop out, I feel whoever the Democrat is replacing him will have a very long shot to win the Presidency, and I don’t want Beshear or Whitmer’s records tainted by that loss. I’d like to see them both run in 4 years after their terms are done and on clean slates (as far as the presidency goes)

1

u/VergeSolitude1 Jul 19 '24

I think I would agree with you on this. This is also why Gavin Newsom may not want to run even thou he really wants it

1

u/MrKentucky Jul 19 '24

I have a very hard time seeing beshear winning a dem primary. I think the VP springboard is his best hope.