Who are the favourites to become Kamala Harris’s running mate?

With prominent Democrats rallying round vice-president Kamala Harris in her bid to become the party’s nominee in the US presidential race, attention is now turning to who she would choose as her running mate.

Many expect her to select a candidate who could help her close the polling gap with Donald Trump in crucial swing states. But she could also bring in someone with a strong record of legislative accomplishments, wealth and name recognition

Speculation has focused on a few figures. One, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, who had been seen as a potential rival to the vice-president, endorsed Harris on Monday and said she would not seek to join her campaign.

Here is who could be in the running:

Andy Beshear

GOVERNOR OF KENTUCKY

Beshear is a popular governor who has proved his ability to win in a red state that twice voted for Trump. He is strongly pro-choice and pro-union, attacking the state’s near total ban on abortions and joining a United Auto Workers picket line.

He has also called out JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential pick, for his portrayal of Appalachian people: “The nerve that he has to call the people of Kentucky, of Eastern Kentucky, ‘lazy’.”

On Monday he endorsed Harris and hinted he would be open to being her running mate. However, a Democratic ticket is unlikely to carry Kentucky, which is not considered a swing state and was won by Trump by 26 points in 2020.

Josh Shapiro

GOVERNOR OF pennsylvania

Harris needs a boost in the swing state of Pennsylvania, site of Trump’s recent assassination attempt, and Shapiro could help deliver it.

With 19 electoral votes up for grabs, Trump has led Joe Biden in Pennsylvania polls for months, and a hypothetical Harris candidacy trails the former president by 4 points, according to a recent SoCal Research poll.

Although Shapiro endorsed Harris as the Democrat presidential nominee on Sunday, vowing to “do everything I can” to help her get elected, it has been suggested that his Jewish background could be a liability on a ticket already holding the first African-American female candidate.

However, according to prediction market Polymarket, he is currently the favourite to be Harris’s running mate.

Mark Kelly

SENATOR FROM ARIZONA

Arizona is another critical swing state for the Democrats. Kelly has a military background and served as a Nasa astronaut and a Navy combat pilot. Harris could use him to help address the surge in border crossings for which the Biden administration has come under heavy criticism.

Kelly also polls better than Biden against Trump and has a strong record of winning against Trump-aligned opponents, beating Republican candidate Blake Masters by 5 points in the 2022 Senate race.

The senator, who is married to former representative Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, endorsed Harris on X on Sunday: “I couldn’t be more confident that vice-president Kamala Harris is the right person to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country into the future.”

Roy Cooper

governor of North Carolina

Cooper is the popular governor of a Republican-leaning swing state, and has successfully expanded Medicaid, pushed back against anti-LGBT+ laws and vetoed a bill that would have banned abortion after 12 weeks.

Having won North Carolina in 2016 and 2020, Cooper could help Harris secure the state, which Democrats hope will flip to them for the first time since 2008.

Cooper endorsed Harris for president on Sunday: “She has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity.”

According to Polymarket, he has the second-highest odds of being selected by Harris.

Wes Moore

governor of MARYLAND

Moore is a rising star in the Democratic party and became Maryland’s first Black governor in 2023.

He is a veteran who served in Afghanistan and gained media attention after leading the response to the deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore in March.

He announced his support for Harris on Monday: “My endorsement goes far beyond politics . . . Kamala Harris will move us forward.”

However, Democrats may be wary of putting two African Americans on the ticket, and Maryland is not expected to turn Republican in November.

JB Pritzker

governor of Illinois

A wealthy and popular governor of Illinois, Pritzker raised the minimum wage and passed the largest infrastructure bill in the state’s history with bipartisan support.

Considered another potential rival for the Democratic nomination, he endorsed Harris on Monday, saying it was time to “shatter that highest and hardest of glass ceilings and finally elect a woman as president of the United States”.

However, Illinois is not considered a swing state, and Pritzker’s wealth could be a liability at a time when many Americans are struggling with the cost of living.

Pete Buttigieg

Secretary of Transportation

Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, ran for president against Biden in 2020 and serves as his transportation secretary. He is the first openly gay member of a US president’s cabinet.

The 42-year-old has name recognition and has proved himself to be an effective messenger in debates on Fox News.

However, Democrats do not expect to carry his home state, and his sexuality may be a difficult sell for some voters.

Buttigieg endorsed Harris on X on Sunday: “Kamala Harris is now the right person to take up the torch, defeat Donald Trump, and succeed Joe Biden as president.”