Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is reportedly working with a specific short list of candidates to choose her vice presidential pick in the next two weeks before the Democratic National Convention.
Harris’ list of potential running mates, according to NBC News, was whittled down to Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“You need someone who’s moderate, obviously, a white male, and I would say she needs someone from a border state,” Ashley Etienne, a former Harris communications director, told NBC News.
“I think her choosing a white male counterbalances her race and her gender in a way that could open her up to peeling off many of those Nikki Haley voters, those disaffected Republicans, independents. And I think it rounds off the ticket in a way that I think feels fresh, feels also forward, but also feels fully aware of where we are as a nation.”
TOP JEWISH GROUP FEARS A HARRIS PRESIDENCY WOULD BE ‘FAR WORSE’ AMID RISING ANTISEMITISM
Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to swear in Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., with his wife Gabrielle Giffords in the old senate chamber Jan. 3, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
NBC reported the Harris campaign is hoping to find a candidate who will appeal to the demographics that Biden was strongest with, including older white voters and suburban women. Additionally, the campaign reportedly wants a candidate who appeals to white men who aren’t fans of Trump but are skeptical about Harris.
If Harris ends up deciding against choosing a white male, NBC News reported Cedric Richmond, a former Biden adviser and Louisiana congressman, has also been floated as a possible running mate.
Many had speculated Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsom would also be considered, but both have withdrawn their names from consideration.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., walks through Capitol Hill Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
“I think it’s Mark Kelly if I had to bet,” Etienne said.
Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running for Senate in Arizona, said Wednesday Kelly would give Harris a “jolt” if she chose him for vice president.
Kelly’s Democratic colleagues in the Senate have spoken highly of him. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the party’s 2016 vice presidential nominee, told NBC News Kelly would be a “superb” choice for Harris.
Hailing from the key battleground state of Arizona, Kelly could assist Harris in locking up western states and provide credibility on the border, which he has said is in “crisis.” He has a compelling life story and career, being a former Navy pilot and astronaut. His parents were both police officers, which could help Democrats dodge GOP attacks for being too soft on crime.
Kelly is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who was shot during a campaign event with constituents in 2011. He cared for her throughout her recovery and continues to do so. Both are leading advocates of gun control reforms.
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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at her presidential campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., July 22, 2024. (Erin Schaff/Pool via Reuters)
A top Democratic Party donor told NBC News Biden is “happy as a clam” to have Harris at the top of the ticket.
“Vice President Harris has directed her team to begin the process of vetting potential running mates,” a Harris campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
“That process has begun in earnest, and we do not expect to have additional updates until the vice president announces who will be serving as her running mate and as the next vice president of the United States.”
Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report