Kamala Harris’s first major task as the Democrats’ new presidential candidate is to choose a vice-presidential running mate. The most critical criterion in her decision is whether that person is qualified to be president should something happen that would require her VP to take over the presidency.

But there are other important criteria. For instance:

1. Will they work well together?
2. Are their policies compatible?
3. Will the VP candidate help the Democrats win a swing state?
4. Does the candidate have experience she lacks to bolster the ticket?
5. Does he/she appeal to a segment of voters that will help win the election?

While all these factors make sense, this process can and sometimes does lead to a very undemocratic approach to determining presidential candidates.

For example, in 1988 Vice-president George H. W. Bush won the Republican nomination for president over Sen. Bob Dole and Pat Robertson. Bush went on to be elected president that year. But had Ronald Reagan chosen Dole to be his running mate rather than Bush in 1980, there’s a good possibility Dole would have been the Republicans’ presidential nominee and would have won the presidency in 1988.

In 2000, Vice-President Al Gore won the Democratic presidential nomination over Sen. Bill Bradley. But, if President Clinton had picked Bradley as his running mate instead of Gore in 1992, Bradley may very well have been the Democrats’ presidential candidate in 2000. And, he might have beaten George Bush for the presidency that year.

This year, Kamala Harris is the Democrats’ nominee for president mainly due to President Biden’s having chosen her as his running mate in 2020. If Biden had chosen Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Sen. Bernie Sanders as his vice president, both of whom he beat in the primaries, one of them would now likely be the Democrats’ presidential candidate.

The point is that presidents have undue influence over whom their party names as its next presidential candidate, and, thus, who the next president might be. That leaves millions of voters like you and me with very little say in the matter, which is extremely undemocratic.

Now let’s look at Harris’s most likely picks for vice president and how her decision might impact our future choices. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro are probably at the top of her list since each of them would help Harris win a battleground state. And, all of them being white males, they would all help balance the Democratic ticket.

Some Democrats lean toward Gov. Shapiro because he could help win Pennsylvania with its 19 electoral votes, the largest of all the swing states. But his ardent support for Israel in its war against Hamas makes him a controversial choice that could dampen support from the progressive wing of the party.[1] Plus, he has been a governor for less than two years. Being only 51 years old, however, as Harris’s VP his chances of becoming president would be greatly enhanced provided Harris wins in November.

Sen. Kelly would only give the Democrats 11 electoral votes if they won Arizona. Additionally, the Dems could lose Kelly’s Senate seat to the Republicans in a special election. He also has been lukewarm about the Dems important labor bill, the PRO Act, which he finally just agreed to support.[2] On the other hand, Kelly is a national hero, having been a space shuttle commander and a combat vet.[3] As the husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who suffered a severe brain injury during an assassination attempt, Kelly staunchly favors gun control. But, given Harris’s strong gun control advocacy,[4] choosing Kelly would not add anything to the ticket in that regard. Kelly, 60, would still be young enough to take the torch from Harris when she completes her presidency, assuming she wins the election.

Finally, Gov. Cooper, 67, is in contention for the VP nomination. He is about to complete his second term in the North Carolina governorship. Of the three leading VP candidates, he has the most experience working with Republicans. His ability to win elections while Republicans are winning other state offices makes him an attractive addition to the Harris campaign.[5] With 16 electoral votes, North Carolina would be a valuable catch for the Democrats. At age 75 eight years from now, he would likely be too old to run for the presidency at the end of Harris’s second term.

Unlike the other two top contenders, by naming Cooper her VP, Harris would not be putting her thumb on the scales when it came time to pick the next Democratic presidential nominee. That factor sets Cooper apart from the others. Along with his significant ability to attract Republican support, the fact that he would leave office and open up a more democratic presidential selection process is why I favor Gov. Cooper as Harris’s best VP pick.

Bruce Berlin

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.), the founder of New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics, a former U.S. Institute of Peace fellow, and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

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[1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/one-vice-presidential-pick-could-100000459.html

[2] https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/potential-vp-pick-mark-kelly-backs-pro-labor/story?id=112244058

[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/senate-democrats-say-mark-kelly-superb-vp-pick-anxiety-rcna163220

[4] https://www.thetrace.org/2024/07/kamala-harris-guns-violence-election/#:~:text=After%20her%20election%20to%20the,of%20federally%20licensed%20gun%20dealers.

[5] https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2024/07/23/harris-roy-cooper-vp-pick-running-mate-democrats; https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/07/duke-university-roy-cooper-north-carolina-governor-vice-president-contender-option-kamala-harris-democratic-ticket-national-convention-nominee