As Kamala Harris interviews vice presidential candidates, here's who they are & how they stand

The search of Vice President Kamala Harris, the nominee of the Democratic Party, for a running mate is in its final phase.

Harris has been interviewing the finalist vice presidential candidates over the weekend. The law firm Covington & Burling had done the vetting for the campaign.

Harris is understood to have short-listed six candidates to be her running mate. The formal announcement of her pick is expected by Tuesday.

The six candidates are:

• Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota

• Arizona Senator Mark Kelly

• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

The choice of the running mate is highly consequential as while the right choice good ensure years of wise counsel and help bring new sets of voters to the campaign, the wrong choice could tank the campaign like Sarah Pallin’s selection hurt John McCain’s campaign in 2008.

Some of the factors that Harris is considering in picker her running mate are who can help her win by expanding the support base, who shares her values, who she would have a better working relationship with, and who would be best-suited to take over the president in case of a contingency, according to USA Today.

Here is how the six candidates stand:

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

Shapiro is the leader of the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania. His blue-collar background and sway over the swing state could bolster his chances.

However, Shapiro is a Jew who has been overtly supportive of Israel following the attack by Hamas and he has been singled out for it. Amid rampant antisemitism in the United States, which translated into numerous nationwide anti-Israel protests which also defaced national monuments and frequently cheered for Hamas, it has been said that his religious identity may not work in his favour.

The progressive wing of the Democratic Party remains critical of Israel and it is not known if this wing would approve of Shapiro.

However, Shapiro has a reputation of being a tough challenger to Trump. When Trump mounted challenges to his 2020 election loss, Shapiro won against those challenges. He also won the 2022 governor election by a landslide in Pennsylvania — a state Biden won by a razor-thin margin in 2020.

If elected, Shapiro would be the first Jewish Vice President of the United States.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Buttigieg is a former mayor and has served in President Joe Biden’s Cabinet for the past four years.

Among all the contenders, Buttigieg as a member of the Biden administration has the most experience of being around Harris.

In 2020 when Buttigieg also ran for the presidential nomination before dropping out, he did well amongst white, working class Democrats, according to USA Today.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly

Kelly has an almost picture-perfect resume: a Navy veteran and a former combat pilot, an astronaut who has been to space, a hawk on immigration from a border state, and an advocate of gun safety.

As Kelly ticks all the right boxes, he has several things going in his favour. Owing to his record on immigration, he could blunt some of the criticism directed at Harris on the issues, which remains her weakest area so far.

Kelly won Arizona twice which Biden won by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020. He could therefore boost Harris’ chances there as well.

As a two-term senator, Kelly would also bring relationships cultivated in the Congress to the table. To get her legislative agenda cleared, she would need those relationships.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Walz, in addition to being a powerhouse by himself, has the support of senior party leader Nancy Pelosi, according to USA Today.

Before entering politics, Walz served in the Army National Guard and also worked as a teacher and football coach.

Walz served in the Congress for 15 years before becoming the Governor of Minnesota in 2019.

Walz is the only candidate who has both executive and legislative experience and this might appeal to Harris, according to the newspaper.

However, Walz is not from any of the swing states that’s a must-win for Harris so that may work against him.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

Pritzker is more of a leftist than Harris and may help appeasing the progressive wing of the party, according to USA Today.

Pritzker also has a record of advocating for reproductive freedoms, which is central to the Democratic campaign. His advocacy group has helped boost efforts to place and pass proposed constitutional amendments boosting abortion rights in various states, as per the newspaper.

However, like Walz, Pritzker is not from any swing state and that may work against him.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

Beshear, the Governor of the otherwise conservative state of Kentucky, could help bring moderate conservatives and independent voters to Harris who are opposed to Trump, according to USA Today.

Last year, Beshear won the state despite Trump winning it in 2020 by a margin of 26 per cent.

However, like in the case of Walz and Pritzker, Kentucky is not a swing state that the Harris campaign is seeking to win.