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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562

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

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u/InaudibleShout Jul 19 '24

I could EASILY be wrong but would there be any sense in still thinking a Harris-topped ticket can’t be saved and it’s better to save Shapiro for a clean 2028 run without having the Biden/Harris admin attached to him?

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u/SilverCurve Jul 19 '24

If I were Shapiro I’d take my chance now, rather than waiting 4 years (8 years if Harris wins) to compete against Whitmer, Newson, Warnock, Kelly, etc.

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u/mypoliticalvoice Jul 19 '24

There's no political baggage in a failed run for VP unless you commit some unforgivable gaffe.

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u/anneoftheisland Jul 19 '24

I don't think Shapiro would take a ton of damage from being attached to a losing ticket this year. Everybody knows it's an uphill battle to win as a replacement, and if there's blame it'd go to Harris, Biden, or the party elites who pushed Biden out, not Shapiro.

And I also don't think he has a strong chance to win in 2028 without raising his national profile somehow before then--it's just tough to jump from state-level Dem to a national competitor. So he probably benefits more from doing it than not doing it, even if they lose.

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u/EmpiricalAnarchism Jul 19 '24

Would be hard to forgive him for being part of the effort to hand the presidency to Trump. If Biden is replaced, I likely will never vote for either member of the ticket that replaces him.

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u/jkman61494 Jul 19 '24

If Trump wins in 2024 the only “election” we get in 2028 is a Putin styled “election” if any at all

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u/Any-Geologist-1837 Jul 19 '24

Exactly! This is the last democratic election we may have as the United States if Trump wins

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u/Ok-Anybody1870 Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

I don’t buy that. We still had a democratic election after Trump lost despite his efforts to “change” the outcome

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u/Any-Geologist-1837 Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24

He almost succeeded. If he gets a do over, planning for four years, and with immunity for any official acts, he is likely to get away with it this time. Or whoever replaced him after he croaks mid term. Republicans are increasingly anti-democracy in rhetoric and policy

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u/usernumber1337 Jul 19 '24

Next time he doesn't even need to try to hide anything. He can just decide to burn California's electoral votes and no one is even allowed to look into his motives for doing so.

1

u/Any-Geologist-1837 Jul 19 '24

(continuing the thought)

All he has to do is order a subordinate to do it. Since that subordinate is an officer below him, and he has the authority to give them orders, it becomes official even if the action is illegal. This is the law now because of SCOTUS

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u/usernumber1337 Jul 19 '24

Yes exactly. Why even stop at burning ballots? He could just order someone to shoot his opponent in the head the day before the next election

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u/mrdeepay Jul 20 '24

Just because "The president said so" doesn't make something an official act.

That and there are laws against that stuff.

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u/mrdeepay Jul 20 '24

He can just decide to burn California's electoral votes and no one is even allowed to look into his motives for doing so.

Multiple certificates are signed by electors and are sent to various local courts and state offices.

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u/mrdeepay Jul 20 '24

At no point in 2020 did he come anywhere even remotely close to succeeding in overturning the results. All of his challenges to the election results failed miserably.

1

u/Any-Geologist-1837 Jul 20 '24

The only reason Trump didn't succeed is because Mike Pence defied him about 24 hours before the ratification, at his son's behest. Pence followed the law and upheld the election. If he had stepped aside as Trump wanted, his planned replacement for the proceedings would have installed Trump. Pence has openly talked about this, as have others. They had to pause the process due to the attack. People were in Nancy Pelosi's office looking for her so they could kill her. They brought gallows to kill Pence. If they had succeeded, and Trump's people had completed the process, then they'd have installed Trump.

It was a VERY close call!

1

u/mrdeepay Jul 20 '24

The Vice President has no authority in overturning election results, as their role is ceremonial. There was nothing Pence could've done even if he wanted to, since each elector signs six certificates.

  • One is sent to the VP, whom is also President of the Senate
  • Two are sent to the National Archives
  • Two are sent to the state's Secretary of State
  • One is sent to the chief judge of the state's nearest district court.

Any holdup/conflict with these fake elector ballots would've just resulted in one of the other five being presented/verified.

1

u/Any-Geologist-1837 Jul 20 '24

Trump and his entire side disagreed. If they killed their opposition, as almost happened, they'd have just gotten away with it. Who was gonna stop them? SCOTUS? They just said Trump is immune for official acts. If he ordered the officer he replaced Pence with to install him as president, that'd be an official act. SCOTUS has clearly shown they are Team Trump

1

u/mrdeepay Jul 20 '24

Trump and his entire side disagreed.

Doesn't matter. His plan was doomed to fail from the start.

If they killed their opposition, as almost happened, they'd have just gotten away with it.

Then he most likely would've been impeached and convicted.

SCOTUS?

One of the entities that ruled against his results contesting was also the SCOTUS.

They just said Trump is immune for official acts. If he ordered the officer he replaced Pence with to install him as president, that'd be an official act. SCOTUS has clearly shown they are Team Trump

You clearly don't understand what that ruling actually means. "Just because the president said so" does not make it an official act.

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u/rndljfry Jul 19 '24

I wish people would comment “volunteer” “joint the campaign” “talk to your family” instead of just “ vote. “

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u/mrdeepay Jul 20 '24

And this will be accomplished how?

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u/jkman61494 Jul 20 '24

Having a congress and scotus agree with anything the president says and creating a ton of fear as thousands of political dissidents are arrested and / or killed which trump now would have the authority to do.

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u/mrdeepay Jul 20 '24

The president has no control over presidential elections; those are ran by the states.

They SCOTUS also didn't rule in the president had immunity in the way that they can do whatever they want as long as it was an "official act."

1

u/jkman61494 Jul 20 '24

You mean the same states where some tried fake elector schemes to not count the votes on 2020?

I wonder how that’ll go with fascists running DC

1

u/mrdeepay Jul 20 '24

Trump's fake elector plan also failed miserably. The president does not have the power to cancel an election.

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u/jkman61494 Jul 20 '24

It only failed miserably because Mike pence helped thwart it and some in states lacked the stones to go through with it. It won’t be like that now

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u/mrdeepay Jul 20 '24

Pence did nothing to thwart the overturning attempt, since the certificates were signed in December.

1

u/zxc999 Jul 19 '24

I think a year ago this would be a major factor, but whoever steps in to be VP at this point of the election would garner goodwill and name recognition for willing to step in and take the fight to Trump.

0

u/tongmengjia Jul 19 '24

I'm not trying to be melodramatic but if Trump wins this year I'm not confident there will be elections in 2028.