In a desperate scramble to save her presidential aspirations, Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly considers various potential running mates to complement her lackluster reputation. Rumour has it she’s considering several executives, detached from Washington’s inefficient bureaucracy, from areas like the Rust Belt, South, and Midwest.
If elected, Harris, following her short stint in the U.S. Senate since 2017 and an obscure career in California, would be expected to provide novelty to the presidency due to her demographic attributes. Yet, informed insiders argue that Harris may be more inclined to pick a white governor free from D.C. politics, circumventing her own considerable baggage.
Multiple names such as governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and Roy Cooper of North Carolina have been floated as potential vice president picks. These names hardly inspire enthusiasm in the Democratic circles as they are mostly considered D.C. outsiders.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s name has also been mentioned, a suggestion that contradicts the conventional wisdom of seeking a complementary figure and instead appears to amplify Harris’s own shortcomings. Whitmer’s selection, however, would help stress the Democratic party’s single-minded focus on contentious issues like reproductive rights.
Ex-astronaut and Navy captain Mark Kelly also comes into play, given his notable pre-political career and current role as U.S. Senator of Arizona. His addition would be an attempt to add some star power and actual accomplishment to an otherwise underwhelming potential presidential ticket.
These considerations for a running mate demonstrate Harris’s urgency as she seeks to become the Democratic presidential nominee amid expected challenges. However, her decision could either strike a balance, highlight her limited strengths, or be a politically calculated move, playing favorites with a swing state crucial to secure victory.
Harris’s choice of a running mate is presumably being seen through the lens of messaging about how she would make decisions as a future president. However, given her tumultuous tenure as Vice President, this might not inspire the confidence she hopes for.
Traditionally, presidential nominees look for a complementary running mate to boost their appeal among the party’s various factions. The idea is to shore up perceived weaknesses, but in Harris’s case, the challenge will be finding someone who can compensate for an overwhelming amount of shortcomings.
A historical comparison might be Trump’s selection of Governor Mike Pence in 2016. Pence’s calm demeanor and evangelical ties served to balance Trump’s New York brashness. Yet, for Harris, the task is even more daunting, given her poor reputation among both moderates and conservatives.
In 2008, then-young Senator Barack Obama sought to tackle criticism concerning his inexperience by opting for Biden, a longstanding Senate veteran. The aim was to provide an experience counterweight, suggesting that Harris might need someone with considerably more political acumen to offset her own lackluster record.
However, an expert suggests, the running mate shouldn’t ideally be a mirror image of the presidential candidate ideologically. Instead, the choice should broaden the ticket’s appeal across the electorate. In this context, Harris’s limited appeal among moderate voters poses a unique challenge.
An ingrained perception among voters is that candidate diversity is often synonymous with a liberal stance, thereby requiring a more moderate running mate to provide a balance. With Harris, though, this perception might be a hard sell, given her well-documented far-left leanings.
To sum up, Harris’s potential VP pick serves as a glimpse into her decision-making strategy as she attempts her presidential bid. However, skeptics argue that regardless of who she chooses, she might still struggle to compensate for her own failings, both real and perceived.
Harris’ VP Scramble Speaks to Her Presidential Shortcomings appeared first on Real News Now.
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