Twenty-four hours after President Biden’s blockbuster announcement that he was dropping his re-election bid, speculation is soaring over whom Vice President Kamala Harris will choose as her running mate.
The president endorsed Harris immediately after suspending his own campaign, which ignited a surge of endorsements by Democratic governors, senators, House members and other party leaders in backing the vice president to succeed Biden as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer.
As Harris moves toward securing the presidential nomination, the running mate race is igniting. And populating the list of possible contenders are plenty of politicians who were thought to have national ambitions in 2028.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally on June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Here are 10 top Democrats – in alphabetical order – whose names have been floated in the past 24 hours as potential Harris running mates.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
The 46-year-old Beshear was elected attorney general in 2015 and four years later won election as governor in deep red Kentucky.
Last November, he was re-elected by five points in a state Biden lost by 26 points in 2020.
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Beshear is following in his father’s footsteps. Steve Beshear won election and re-election as Kentucky governor in 2007 and 2011.
Gov. Andy Beshear speaks to a joint session of the state Legislature in the state Capitol, Jan. 3, 2024, in Frankfort, Kentucky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
The younger Beshear has been effective in keeping his distance from the national party by focusing on state issues and highlighting economic progress and his handling of natural disasters. But he’s also spotlighted his support for abortion rights and his progress on health care and education.
He didn’t rule out serving as running mate in an interview Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” saying “the only way I would consider something other than this current job is if I believed I could further help my people and to help this country.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor went from long shot to a top contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
As transportation secretary, the 42-year-old Buttigieg has been one of Biden’s most visible Cabinet members, often speaking out on behalf of the administration in TV interviews.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks during a press conference on June 28, 2021, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Buttigieg, a Rhodes scholar who also served in the war in Afghanistan, made history as the first openly gay person confirmed to a presidential Cabinet position.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper
Cooper, 67, served 16 years as North Carolina attorney general before winning election in 2016 and re-election in 2020 as governor, during the same years that former President Trump carried the Tar Heel State for the GOP in the presidential contests.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
The governor is term-limited and was prevented from running for re-election this year.
Cooper has been a champion of abortion rights in a state where the Republicans dominate the legislature. He’s also focused on expanding Medicaid.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
The 60-year-old Kelly, a former Navy pilot and NASA astronaut, has represented swing state Arizona in the Senate since 2020.
He won a special election to succeed the late GOP Sen. John McCain, becoming the first Democrat in four decades to hold the seat. Kelly easily won re-election in 2022.
Sen. Mark Kelly at the U.S. Capitol, March 15, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
As a border state Democrat, Kelly has highlighted his differences with the Biden-Harris administration when it comes to combating the influx of migrants over the southern border with Mexico. That could come in handy as the Trump campaign and Republicans repeatedly blast Biden and Harris over the issue of border security.
Kelly is the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona, who was severely injured in a 2011 shooting and has become a prominent gun safety advocate.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore
Moore is a 45-year-old Army combat veteran and Rhodes scholar who, as a first-time candidate in 2022, won a landslide election as governor in the heavily blue state of Maryland.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore during the State of the State address in Annapolis, on Feb. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
Moore, who made history as the third Black candidate ever elected governor in the U.S., is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom
Newwom, 56, is one of the most high-profile Democratic governors in the nation.
The former San Francisco mayor and California lieutenant governor won election as governor in 2018, easily beat back a recall attempt in 2021 and cruised to a landslide re-election two years ago.
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks with voters during a stop at a highway rest area in Hooksett, New Hampshire, on July 8, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
While there’s been plenty of speculation that Newsom has national ambitions in 2028, he’s been a top Biden surrogate this election cycle.
Newsom would face a major hurdle if named as Harris’ running mate because they both hail from California, and the 12th Amendment to the Constitution states that presidential and vice presidential candidates running on the same national ticket “shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
The 59-year-old Pritzker, who’s in his second term as Illinois governor, has been a vocal Biden surrogate in criticizing Trump.
Pritzker, a billionaire whose family started the Hyatt hotel empire, has the ability to self-fund his campaigns.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker arrives to deliver his State of the State and budget address at the state Capitol, Feb. 21, 2024, in Springfield, Illinois. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP)
The governor has been outspoken in fighting for women’s reproductive rights, and has signed into law a slew of prgressive measures, including an assault weapons ban and a minimum wage increase.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
Shapiro, 51, served six years as Pennsylvania’s attorney general before winning election as governor in 2022.
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If named to the ticket, it’s likely the governor would give the Democrats a boost in Pennsylvania, a crucial northeastern battleground state.
Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks at a campaign event, April 16, 2024, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Shapiro could also make history as the first Jewish vice president in the nation’s history.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
The 60-year-old Walz is in his second term as governor of Minnesota, a state that Democrats have reliably won in presidential elections but which is now considered to be competitive.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a press conference, Feb. 18, 2024, in Burnsville, Minnesota. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, file)
Walz can also showcase a slew of progressive policy victories, including protecting abortion rights, legalizing recreational marijuana and restricting gun access.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Whitmer is another high-profile swing state governor and top Biden surrogate who’s taken the fight to Trump.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate on Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
The 52-year-old Whitmer was considered to be on Biden’s 2020 short-list for running mate.
But when asked Monday if she would would serve as the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee if asked, Whitmer told reporters“I am not leaving Michigan.”
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.