Opinion Kamala Harris’s first important decision: Her running mate

However, the assumption that she should only consider White, male governors from states not on the coasts seems misplaced. Simply because two women have never run does not mean Harris necessarily must pick a White man. (After all, for most of our history two White men ran on both major party tickets.) Certainly, Democrats do not want to give up on male voters (a majority of whom vote Republican), who might like to see one man on the ticket. But a female candidate who checks many of the other boxes and who has herself won handily among both male and female voters should not be excluded.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, for example, won 48 percent of male voters in her reelection race. She represents a critical swing state and brings tested executive experience. As the subject of a thwarted kidnapping and murder plot, she can be a powerful voice to deplore the rise of political violence and extremism. She has plenty of moxie, shines in interviews and, at 52 years old, emphasizes the relative youth of the ticket. Still, there will be many voices telling Harris that Whitmer is too risky and will only exacerbate Democrats’ problem with male voters.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will certainly also be on Harris’s short list. He comes from arguably the most important swing state, does offer gender balance and is well versed in emergency management, having handled the I-95 collapse and then the horrible assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. Shapiro comes across as unflappable on TV. He trounced his Republican opponent in a purple state by double digits in 2022. Shapiro appears to be the best-known and favorite option among Democrats, but one wonders if the party wants to give up the governorship of such a critical state. Some voices have also questioned putting a Jewish politician on the list — as if that might represent “too much diversity.” Frankly, those uncomfortable with diversity likely won’t be voting for Harris anyway. And, in any event, religion is not the barrier for most voters it was decades ago. (Biden’s Catholicism was a nonissue in 2020.) Moreover, Shapiro, a vocal supporter of Israel, is the perfect counter to Trump’s antisemitic claim that American Jews are crazy or bad Jews if they vote for Democrats.

If Harris is looking for more geographic diversity, Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina fits the bill. At the least, he might compel Republicans to spend money to contest his state. He’s seen as a moderate, has a 20-year friendship with Harris going back to their days as attorneys general of their states and has shown that Democrats, even in a conservative state, can stand up to culture war bullies. (Repealing the “bathroom bill,” Cooper argued, “For over a year now, House Bill 2 has been a dark cloud hanging over our great state. It has stained our reputation, it has discriminated against our people, and it has caused great economic harm in many of our communities.”) However, at 67 he does not exactly reinforce the message of “handing the baton to the next generation.”