Aides to US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris‘ campaign team have already picked out at least three Democrats who could serve as Harris’s running mate should Biden drop out of the 2024 presidential election.
The New York Times reports that as Biden, 81, continues to face pressure to end his re-election bid, people close to the effort revealed that a shortlist of potential VP’s is already being compiled just in case the incumbent chooses to exit the ticket,
The report says that at the top of the list are Governors Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, with Cooper the clear front-runner, according to the outlet.
The insiders explained that as the first woman of colour to be a major party’s presidential nominee, Harris’ ideal running mate should be a white man who could appeal to conservative-inclined voters.
Cooper, 67, was elected North Carolina governor in 2016, removing Republican incumbent Pat McCrory, and was re-elected in 2020 beating other Democrats on the ballot in a state won twice by former President Donald Trump.
Cooper and Harris also have a personal connection, having worked with each other when they served as attorneys general in North Carolina and California respectively.
Beshear, 46, also a former state attorney general, could get votes for Harris after winning re-election in deep-red Kentucky last year.
Shapiro, 51, another former state attorney general, could also get the swing state of Pennsylvania for Harris, but he’s been in office for just 18 months.
Harris has not made any public suggestions that she would seek the Democratic nomination, Saying in public that she supports Biden.
“We always knew this election would be tough — and the past few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy,” Harris told a crowd of supporters in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
But the one thing we know about our president, Joe Biden, is that he is a fighter,” she added.
Meanwhile, Biden on Tuesday said he won’t be dropping out of the race and would defeat Trump at the polls.