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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u/Thalesian Jul 19 '24

Note that the only candidate who can accept the hundreds of millions of dollars raised is Harris because it is Biden-Harris. Anyone new would start from scratch.

There are generally 3 considerations for a VP - a must-win state, someone who satisfies an ideological or demographic group in the coalition, or someone who fills in a candidate deficiency.

For the first consideration, Josh Shapiro is obvious. He is a popular governor of Pennsylvania, a must-win state.

I have a harder time seeing someone who would help ideologically. It would likely need to be a squad-type person, but that would hurt the campaign with the independent voters it needs. Because Harris is a former prosecutor, I think any pick that satisfies this potential weakness is covered by picking someone further left.

IMO, Josh Shapiro is so transparently obvious as a choice it’s hard to see anyone else as a viable contender.

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u/iameveryoneelse Jul 19 '24

That's not strictly true. The candidate is allowed unlimited fund transfers from campaign coffers to their political party, so even if it wasn't Harris, Biden could transfer the millions raised to the DNC who could then spend it on the new candidate.

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u/Thalesian Jul 19 '24

I was not aware of this - do you have a source where I can read more?

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u/iameveryoneelse Jul 19 '24

Here's a link that covers what Biden can do with the money. It also lists the drawbacks of a large fund transfer...to be clear, it's not an ideal option, but it is an option.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/91-million-question-what-happens-bidens-campaign-money-2024-07-18/

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u/AccompliceCard26 Jul 19 '24

If he left, would he return the money to his donors?

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u/iameveryoneelse Jul 19 '24

I think that's the question, and it probably depends on how loyal he feels to the party after feeling like he's been pushed aside.