While there have been a litany of names floated as potential running mates for Vice President Harris, a few names are floating to the top, each with potential electoral upsides and drawbacks.

The Wall Street Journal’s Ken Thomas reports that Ms. Harris’s shortlist includes Senator Kelly, Governor Cooper of North Carolina, Governor Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Governor Whitmer of Michigan, Governor Pritzker of Illinois, and Governor Walz of Minnesota, with each potential vice presidential pick receiving vetting papers. 

It has also been reported by NBC News that Governor Beshear from Kentucky is under consideration. Other Democrats including Governor Moore of Maryland, Governor Newsom of California, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg are also named as potential contenders.

Among these names,, ABC News reports that Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Kelly are the top contenders, each coming from an important battleground state.

While a vice presidential pick for Ms. Harris is likely to be announced closer to the Democratic National Convention, each of these candidates would bring something different to the ticket.

Mr. Kelly has the distinction of being the only potential pick from the Senate. He also ran ahead of Mr. Biden in the state in 2020, receiving 51 percent of the vote to Mr. Biden’s 49 percent.

In 2022, Mr. Kelly retained his seat winning 51 percent of the vote again, defeating venture capitalist Blake Masters, who, like the Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, was plucked from billionaire Peter Thiel’s orbit.

Mr. Kelly is also a veteran, serving in the navy between 1987 to 2011. During his career in the Navy, Mr. Kelly, along with his twin brother, served as a Space Shuttle pilot.

Politically, he would draw a contrast from Ms. Harris. Mr. Kelly only registered as a Democrat in 2018, having been an independent before then. 

Mr. Kelly is also one of two Democratic Senators who have not signed on to support the Protecting the Right to Organize or PRO Act, a bill which would require employers to disclose their anti-union organizing expenses and impose civil penalties against employers when they are found to have violated the National Labor Relations Act.

Beside Mr. Kelly, at the top of the short list is Mr. Shapiro, who was elected governor in 2022, defeating the Republican nominee for governor, Doug Mastriano, 57 percent to 42 percent.

Another potential pick who could help the Democratic ticket carry an important swing state is Ms. Whitmer, who won re-election in 2022 defeating her Republican opponent by 10 points in the swing state.

However, Ms. Whitmer has already said that she’s not interested in the job and that she will instead serve as the campaign’s co-chair, telling The Detroit News that “I am not leaving Michigan. I am proud to be the governor of Michigan. I have been consistent.”

The final swing state Democrat whose name is bandied about as a top contender is Mr. Cooper, who is serving in his second term as the governor of North Carolina, last winning re-election by about 5 points in 2020.

Mr. Cooper is perhaps best known for refusing to defend a state law that included a provision banning local governments from passing anti-discrimination measures and minimum wage laws. The law was repealed in 2020.

A concern expressed by some Democrats about Mr. Cooper running for national office is that the lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, would assume the role of acting governor when he is not in the state. Mr. Robinson has also seized on opportunities when Mr. Cooper is out of state in the past.

Beyond swing state politicians, Mr. Beshear has drawn attention for his enduring popularity in Kentucky, where he won re-election by 5 points last year.

Mr. Beshear has also drawn praise from some Democrats for his skill on the stump and has drawn attention for the contrast he could draw against Mr. Vance on the campaign trail, who often discusses his mother’s family’s roots in Kentucky despite growing up in Ohio’s Cincinnati suburbs.

The associate editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, Miles Coleman, tells the Sun that he “wouldn’t say any of these options stand out as outright bad picks.”

“Having grown up in North Carolina, I’m a bit of a Cooper partisan,” Mr. Coleman says. “He’s undefeated in what is a Republican-leaning state at the federal level and, logistically, wouldn’t otherwise have anywhere to go next year.”

Mr. Coleman also noted that North Carolina isn’t a must win state for Democrats and that “You could make a similar argument for Beshear.” 

He added that the “easiest path to 270” would focus on Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and that “I understand the inclination Harris may have to choose a running mate who ‘gets’ that region.”

The lead data scientist at Decision Desk HQ, Liberty Vittert, tells the Sun that they are still polling to determine the most advantageous candidate but that the “safest” pick from an strictly electoral perspective would be to pick a moderate Republican.

“Chris Sununu, Romney, Haley etc. but I don’t think the democrats will do it meaning this will be a much harder race for them than it needs to be,” Mr. Vittert says.