Who's up? Who's down? Harris' VP options in limbo ahead of imminent decision

WASHINGTON - A former astronaut, folksy swing state governors and a former political rival turned Cabinet official. Who is Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris going to pick for vice president?

News of Harris' pick for vice president could break as soon as this weekend, but as she is meeting with the final six hopefuls Saturday and Sunday, it isn't expected until early next week. The Harris campaign has announced a swing state tour with her VP pick starting Tuesday in Philadelphia.

After entering the race less than two weeks ago after President Joe Biden stepped aside, Harris hasn't had the luxury of a lengthy vetting process that most campaigns perform. Still, she's likely weighing the same factors: who can help her win, who shares her values, who would she work well with, who is qualified to step in as president if necessary.

"This is a decision that is not just a campaign decision," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is among those being considered, told CNN last week. "This is a decision that the whole country ends up being bound by."

Harris doesn't have a close relationship with any of the potential picks. Attorney General Eric Holder, who White House reporters spotted on Saturday entering Vice President Harris' residence, and his law firm, Covington & Burling LLP, has been conducting the vetting of Harris' potential partner.

Along with Buttigieg, Harris is reportedly considering Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky. Here's a rundown of who is being considered:

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

A former state attorney general like Harris, the 51-year-old Democrat faced off against former President Donald Trump's campaign in 2020 when it challenged election results and won.

More: Who is Josh Shapiro? Get to know the Pennsylvania governor and potential Harris VP pick

He represents what might be the key swing state in determining who wins the White House and his blue collar appeal could help Harris in other must-win Rust Belt states like Wisconsin and Michigan. Noticeably he won his 2022 governor's race by a landslide in a state that Biden had won just two years earlier by 0.2 percentage points.

Like all of Kamala Harris' potential vice president picks, Shaprio says Israel has a right to exist, defend itself and that he supports a two-state solution, but he's been the only one who has been singled out for it. If selected and the pair win, he would be the first Jewish vice president in U.S. history.

Shapiro's support for school vouchers, have made him a tough sell to teachers unions and progressives. He has also been criticized for his handling of sexual harassment claims against an aide.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

A well-known policy wonk, Buttigieg is perhaps the most broadly known of the potential picks. At 42, he is also the youngest. Buttigieg has served in Biden's Cabinet all four years, including implementing Biden's landmark transportation funding bill and dealing with several national transportation emergencies.

More: Who is Pete Buttigieg? Transportation Secretary is a potential Harris running mate

The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., pitched himself as a plainspoken Democrat who could speak to Republicans during his failed 2020 presidential bid. He won a surprise victory in Iowa and did well with white, working class Democrats.

As a long serving Cabinet official and a prominent surrogate, he would tie the Democratic ticket more closely to Biden than any other candidate

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly

Fighter pilot astronaut. It's a political resume straight out of a movie. Kelly's two wins in Arizona show his popularity in a state that could play a pivotal role this year. Biden won there in 2020 by fewer than 11,000 votes.

Kelly, 60, represents a border state and is a bit of a hawk on immigration and border security, which could deflect one of the Trump campaign's focal attack points against Harris. He also cares about gun violence, one of Harris' key issues. He’s married to former Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, who can share the powerful story of surviving a gunshot to the head during a 2011 mass shooting in Tucson.

Harris and Kelly overlapped in the Senate for just two weeks between when he was sworn in and when she became vice president, but the relationships on Capitol Hill that he would bring to the ticket are something no other candidate has.

His selection as VP could upend control of the Senate, suggesting that too would factor into Harris' decision making. Arizona’s Democratic governor would appoint a Democratic successor in the short term, but a special election would be called for 2026 to finish out the final years of his term.

Some labor groups have pushed Harris not to pick Kelly, pointing to his opposition to legislation they say would boost union organizing.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz

Walz, 60, is an Army National Guard veteran who worked as a high school teacher and football coach. He spent about 15 years representing a southern Minnesota district in Congress before he was inaugurated as governor in 2019. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is reportedly promoting him behind the scenes.

Walz may have inadvertently started the viral effort to label Trump and his pick for vice president JD Vance as "weird."

More: Who is Tim Walz? What to know about the governor who is Harris' potential VP pick

He is the only candidate with both executive and legislative experience, something that might appeal to Harris. Walz, who shoots goofy videos with his daughter Hope, gives off Midwest dad vibes, similar to Hillary Clinton's 2016 VP pick Tim Kaine. But Walz is also not actually from one of the swing states Harris needs to win.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker

Billionaire JB Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotel chain, tends to fall further to the left than Harris, which could help shore her up with progressives, though it is unlikely she needs that.

He's led on reproductive freedom issues, which are central to Democrats' strategy in 2024. His Think Big America political advocacy group has helped boost efforts to place and pass proposed constitutional amendments that would enshrine abortion rights in various states.

Top Chicago area executives encouraged Harris to pick him in a letter this week citing his experience creating jobs and working across party lines.

Illinois isn’t a battleground state, so he won’t help Harris carry any electoral votes.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

A two-term Democratic governor of a red state could help Harris appeal to independents and conservatives who are uncomfortable with Trump as the nominee. He won re-election last year in a state that Trump carried by 26 percentage points in 2020.

Like Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana, Kentucky isn't seen as being in play in 2024. But a southern governor could in theory help Harris in places like Georgia that are.

Corrections and Clarifications: This story has been corrected to reflect Vice President Kamala Harris is considering a number of Jewish American candidates as potential running mates. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamala Harris is on the verge of making a VP pick. Who's up and down?